


nightfall

by LilaacStars



Series: nightfall [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Catdrien, F/M, Magic AU, Magic Powers, ONE story following the prompts, Spooktober, Witch AU, and Fluff!, angst oh boy, apparently we have more plot that the anticipated amount, as the ranking gives away there’s smut but we have a plot, but ANGST, damn so much plot someone help me, night creatures, romance and plot, tw:blood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2019-07-24 00:40:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 142,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16170062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilaacStars/pseuds/LilaacStars
Summary: Marinette is a witch. As powerful and intimidating as she is, there are other creatures of the night that are stronger and more dangerous than she could ever imagine. Though, that won't stop her from falling in love with one.





	1. magic.

**Author's Note:**

> magic: the use of means (such as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural power over natural forces
> 
>  
> 
> I've been wanting to participate in one of these things forever. Not spooktober specifically, but like having prompts for a month and all that jazz. Finally, I am! I got a plot an character ideas so here we go  
> Miraculous Spooktober by @ purrincess-chat on tumblr :)

Marinette stirred the cauldron in the same direction as the clock on the left of her studio ran its hands, and cleaned the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. 

She sighed for the fifth time in that minute. She was so tired, her only desire was to go lie in bed but duty was first and she had not finished the potion yet, so sleep had to be postponed. 

She hated this time of the year as much as she loved it. For business it was great, she couldn’t complain about that but for her health, it was a nuisance. 

Humans were funny. The whole year they would curse against them, they would run away scared when they stumbled with one of them and they would do their very best to gossip the most horrible lies they could think of, but when the months of the moon came around, they all loved magic. 

They were selfish and cruel, hunting them down and calling them slurs and then looking for them so they could pay for their services and obtain the magic that they longed for. 

Marinette had it easy, being a witch she looked like a human being and she could hide between them without them noticing if she wished to. In comparison with other creatures of the night, but that didn’t make it any less annoying or hurtful. 

Many witches dreamed with a simpler life, a life where they weren’t hiding, a life where they were not ashamed of who they were and chose to give up their powers and join the humans, leaving all their traditions and the magic of their houses behind. Marinette would never do that, she was loyal to her house and to her family, and she was not ashamed of who she was. 

But she would be lying if she said she didn’t wish upon to starts for her life to be easier. 

She stirred the kettle on the opposite direction this time, starting to count so she wouldn’t overdo it. 

She looked around her little workshop, the glimmer of the fairy dust was floating around and the light coming out of the cauldron was the only source of illumination in the room. She had not noticed the candled dying down nor the spectral silence surrounding her. 

She stopped stirring and clapped three times before giving a snap with her left hand. The big wooden spoon started to move on itself and kept doing the job she had been doing. 

She walked to the closest window and opened, looking for the missing moon in the sky. It was a cloudy night, the leaks of grey light were almost unnoticeable, but they were enough for her to recover some of her strength.

She took off the pointy hat on top of her head and untied her braids, letting her hair fall on top her shoulders. She massaged the back of her neck and sighed as she looked at the dark valley in front of her. 

It was a lonely night, an odd occurrence on that side of the town. 

Marinette lived twenty minutes away of the outskirts of the human city, just like most night creatures did, or at least the ones that were not so hated by humans. At these times of the night, when most humans were sleeping in their beds, most of the population here was out and about, enjoying their time, celebrating and hanging out with their friends. Tonight that wasn’t the case, and that made Marinette worry. 

She turned around to watch the clock in her wall, checking the time once again. Yes, she had been right, it was past midnight, and only a group of fortune tellers and illusionist and a couple of firebirds were walking outside. 

Marinette closed her window and came back to her pot. She checked her magic and clapped one more time so the wooden spoon would move slower. She took a flask from the closest cabinet and threw some of the unicorn hairs on it inside of the mixture she was preparing. 

She looked at the watch one more time. The potion still needed to be stirred for four more hours, and it had to rest for another two more. Maybe she had time to do what her heart was calling her to do. 

Marinette closed the flask and put it back on its place, she checked the potion three times before running out of the workshop. 

Her cottage was little so she took no time in making her way to the entrance. She took the black cloak hanging on her rail and put it on. She tied a bow around her neck and put on the hoodie. 

She snapped her fingers one time and a bag flew to her side. She took it with her hands and opened it up to check the content. Inside, there were fifteen miniature crystal balls in all colors, courtesy of her best friend Alya, a nine-tailed fox. 

She took the bag and tied it securely to the belt of her skirt. She twirled her fingers around it, calling an invisible spell to keep the bag hidden. 

After that, she was ready and she made it out of her house. 

She walked the path made of cobblestones until she reached the main street of their little town, her curiosity only grew as she made her way. There was absolutely no one running around making jokes, there was no sense of magic in the air, there were no peddlers trying to swindle naive creatures or the human intruders that they had every night. The night was too quiet and nights in the valley were everything but that. 

What could have happened? This was not the nature of the night creatures, it was in their name, they were, well, night creatures, they enjoyed the moon and the dark, those were the hours were they were their most powerful, and the peaceful hours for them because of the lack of humans around. 

Marinette kept walking and looking around, seeing if she could find someone else than the groups she had seen outside of her house before, that it was worth to say, were now gone too. 

She only stopped when she made it to the end of the  _ Voie D’Or,  _ the market and social street had no open business, and that’s when she started to fall into despair. 

What was wrong with everyone? Why wasn’t she aware of this situation? 

Marinette ran back to the main street, but instead of going back to her cottage, she turned to the left, following the path to the forest. The fairies and the nymphs would know more than she could ever find out by walking around. 

The forest was her least favorite place in the valley. It was pretty and she had to visit it every now and then to stock up of some products, but she always avoided it at night. 

She was a creature of the night like any other one in their town, but there were more scariest and dangerous beings than her out there, and most of them enjoyed the shadows and the energy the forest provided. 

She would only visit it at twilight and dawn and if she had to visit it at night, she would never go alone. Neither would now. 

Marinette made it to the beginning of the forest, only a few pines and wild trees were standing up, at it was easy to see the path, but the deeper you were, the hardest it was to keep yourself safe, there were too many trees, that hid many traps and creatures. 

Marinette took a big breath, realizing what she was about to do. It was against her rules, but her curiosity was brushing off the logical side of her. 

She pressed her index and middle finger on top of her lips, she gave a small kiss and closed her eyes. She started whispering and the magic rushed through her veins, she felt her fingertips getting warmer and she spoke louder. 

“Bounded to my soul, married to my cause, deity of the night, protector of my dark. I call for your presence and I ask for your help,” She said in a clear whisper, “Manifest!” 

She extended her arm, so her fingers would make a 180 angle while she extended them, and pointed in front of her. A red sphere started shining around her fingers, electrifying the atmosphere. A pentagram glimmered in the air, a part of reality ripped, making a portal and a tiny red creature appeared. 

“Welcome back, Tikki,” She said, greeting the demon. 

“Good evening, master, your Highness Witch of Luck and Love,” The creature bowed and then gave a playful smiled. 

“I will ignore that,” Marinette said with an exasperated tone, “I need your company tonight, Tikki,”

“If you request it, I will always be there,” Tikki answered. 

“We are going into the dark forest tonight, so please be alert,” She ordered. 

“The dark forest? You hate it there,” 

“I hate uncertainty even more,” She answered, she was still glaring at the trees. “Follow me, and if you see a fairy let me know. I need answers,”

“Will do, Marinette,” 

Together, they took one step into the darkness and submerged into the unknown. 

Marinette did not think they would be walking for long, fairies hanged in places where there was light, it should be safe. 

“Why are we looking for fairies, Marinette?”

“There’s no one around and it is night time. It’s odd, and I’m worried,” Marinette explained, “I act as one of the protectors of our town and I’ve not been informed of anything, I can not help but go and look for answers myself,” 

“Hasn’t Alya talked to you?”

“It’s October, Tikki, I only leave my house to take orders of my customers and receive my mail, and Alya, as well as the other citizens, know better than to bother me when I’m working. This time it might have backfired, though,”

“Oh,” Tikki nodded, finishing their conversation. Marinette wished she hadn’t, but demons were not exactly talkative. Tikki was an exception to the norm, she would talk and tease her, mostly because Marinette had allowed her to, but at the end of the day, she was still a demon, and nature was hard to fight. 

The longer they walked, the more frightened she felt. She had never made it that far into the forest at these times of the night. In an anxious manner, she would touch the earrings that bonded her and Tikki as a witch and familiar. That always gave her a sense of relief, but tonight it wasn’t exactly working. 

When they arrived at the  _ Lac de la Lune D'Argent,  _ without seeing any fairies, Marinette knew it was time to go back home. She was not going to endanger herself any longer, she not only wanted to survive, but she also had to. People depended on her, she couldn’t put her life at risk just because of her curious nature. 

“Let’s g--

“Master,” Tikki interrupted. Just by the use of her title she knew what Tikki was about to say was not going to be of her like. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked, her voice went up an octave. 

“We have to hide fast,” Tikki said, “I know now why there’s no one around,” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on tumblr: buginettez


	2. monsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> monster: an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure.  
> a threatening force.  
> an animal of strange or terrifying shape.

Marinette had no time protest, she heard the sound of heavy footsteps stepping on the old leaves and she started running towards the lake. She could find a good hiding spot behind the rocks.

With a quick wiggle of her fingers, she cast a spell on her feet, making them lighter, as a consequence she was faster, leaving the strange creatures that were approaching meters behind.

She made it behind the tall and spiky rocks on time, before the shadows of the men started to reflect on the silver waters. Marinette couldn’t hike, it could be too dangerous and they could see her. She chose the safest option, she did the same motion she had done to cast the invisibility spell on her bag an hour ago, but this time she rotated her fingers around her body, making herself invisible.

“Tikki,” She whispered and looked at her familiar, ready to give an order, “Lend me your magic,”

Tikki bowed with her head, accepting her request.

Marinette closed her eyes, she opened her hand and pressed her fingers together, positioning it in front of her face, aligned with her nose.

“Possession,” She whispered and a light breeze twirled around her, with it, Tikki’s magic too. When she opened her eyes, she wasn’t by her side anymore, and she could feel her inside of her earrings.

Marinette touched her left earring two times with her right hand and then crossed her fingers in front of her eyes. She felt the change immediately, and she also the results.

The dark shadows and the blurry images were bright and solid again, the lack of light was not an obstacle anymore, she saw her surroundings in all clearness.

She had only seen two shadows before, but now she was looking at a group of six men, six men she did not recognize.

They looked like humans, but she was certain that they weren’t, the magic spread like an odor around them. What were they? It was hard to tell, not because she was unfamiliar to the feeling of their magic, but because they seemed to be using a protection spell over them, so they couldn’t be tracked, and as consequence, not analyzed.

Whichever witch had done that, had to be a powerful one, that was enough clue to start investigating. But that would have to be later because right now her goal was to stay hidden and unnoticed.

Her stomach twisted, Tikki’s instinct had taken over and it was telling her something. She smelled it before she saw it. The strong scent of goblin blood and lavender was one she knew well. Those ingredients were the base for _contention spells_. While she used them in her potions and on lucky charms so people could have more emotional stability, they could be used more literally, and that’s exactly how it had been used at this moment.

Five more men appeared and with them a horrible and terrifying creature in chains.

The bony creature was three or four head taller than the men that had it chained, without counting the antlers coming out of its forehead. Its skin was greyish and was covered with thin hair on its shoulders, hands, and feet. He had claws and long yellow fangs, all splattered in dry blood.

_A wendigo._

The monster she was seeing matched with the description and the illustrations she had seen in books before. She had never imagined she would see one in real life, they were rare and dangerous, they were hunters and witches in charge of keeping them in line, and if needed they would kill them.

She always tried to be empathetic with the creatures of the night, it was not their choice to be what they were, but looking at the monster in front of her, she understood why the Magic Committee had chosen to take those measures. It was scarier than she had ever imagined and she wanted it out of her valley.

Why were those men carrying a Wendigo with them? And what were they doing in the valley?

Just as she enhanced her vision, she enhanced her hearing. At first, it was uncomfortable, she flinched as her ears adjusted to the new frequency, but once the sounds started to have their own characteristic and she could differentiate one of another, she was ready to hear the men, they were talking in whispers a kilometer away from her.

She recognized the language immediately, only confirming that these men came from far away lands. _Kertáh_ language was hard to learn, but as a high-rank witch, she had gone through hard and intensive education and training, learning one of the nine languages of the Dark Nights Kingdoms was just one of the many requirements.

“The wendigo smelled something, it can’t be wrong,” Marinette was glad that the thick accent of the man didn’t prevent her from understanding what he was saying.

“It just ate a herd of _Nixies,_ I’m sure he was just looking for more,” Another one answered.

“It is not looking for food, he would be crawling if that was the case. It smelled something, a person,”

Marinette felt her heart jolt, accelerating its rhythm. Wendigos had bad sight, but an incredibly advanced sense of smell, if they kept it here, she was going to be found.

She looked around, moving as little as it was physically possible, she didn't want to make any noise or catch any breeze that could carry her scent towards the monster. There was no way she could escape from here.

Why was she so reckless? This was probably the reason why everyone was hiding, and why there was no trail of any fairies or nymphs in the woods. But how could they know? And why hadn’t they warned her? She understood that she could be intimidating when she was interrupted, but this was important, if they knew they were going to be visited by _Kertáhs_ , they should have told her. Especially if they came with a carnivorous monster.

“I’m still surprised by how far he’s managed to come,” A man from the group holding the wendigo spoke, “We have been chasing him for weeks, he is stronger and smarter than we gave him credit,”

“He is _richer_ than we gave him credit,” A tall man with purple hair spoke, “You really think he ran away without taking a few jewels on his pockets? Money buys anything, in our wicked world, even goblins can be persuaded with diamonds,”

Marinette gulped. These men were on a chase, and they were using a wendigo to track their prey.

How important was to catch this man that it required a monster? And how had they made all their way here without getting caught by hunters? A wendigo that big was hard to hide and she could not sense any witch making them company.

“Let’s check the perimeter, see if this thing finds something,” She couldn’t catch who said that but it wasn’t important, what mattered now was not to be caught.

Marinette whispered a spell, assuring that her invisibility was working. She felt so useless and weak, just hiding and waiting for the men and their terrifying monster to begin checking their surroundings. She was stronger than this, she had Tikki with her and the crystal balls of a kitsune, but she knew better than to fight impossible battles.

If these men actually came from Kertáh and had a protection spell as she believed they did, the witch that had done had knowledge over magic she would have never dared to touch. It was no secret that in those lands, witches, and other dangerous creatures, were instructed on the most powerful kinds of black magic. Marinette as a witch knew of these powers, but she would never use them, her powers were based on the balance of the light and the dark, black magic was too contaminated with its dark side, she would never corrupt herself like that. It was shameful, and she despised any witch that chose to practice that sort of magic.

However, as much as it cost her to admit it, they were extremely powerful and resourceful, and she was still ignorant to their charms and spells, looking for a fight now would be like jumping in the dark while being close to an edge.

So, she waited. She had no way of knowing how long they took to go around the lake, she was too concentrated on their every move, especially the wendigo’s. She was also focusing all her energy on staying still, so she wouldn’t be wendigo food.

“See? Didn’t I tell you this monster was just trying to find something to eat?” They spoke again, they were back at their initial point.

Marinette couldn’t help but sigh, relieved.

“Let’s keep looking, he was hurt he couldn’t have gone that far,”

Marinette stayed like a statue until she couldn’t hear any sound anymore. The tension of her body broke loose and she was finally able to breathe and move without feeling like she was going to snap.

“Freed,” She whispered, passing her hands by her ears, barely touching her earrings.

With her sight, she followed the red light that later changed into Tikki’s tiny demon body.

“That was scary, Marinette,”

“It was,” She nodded, “I had never seen a Wendigo before, now I understand why everyone was hiding. I’m still surprised that I didn’t get any warnings,”  
“I felt it only when it was close to us, but it’s hard for me to have full control over my powers on the first hours on this dimension, you know it well. I think fairies, and maybe a few veelas must have felt it first and warned the town,”

“Must have been that,” Marinette hummed. “Let’s go back to my cottage, I don’t feel like staying out any longer,”  
“Do you by any chance have biscuits?” Tikki asked. Marinette giggled.

“Are you sure you are a demon? You surely have a sweet tooth,” Tikki laughed with her, “C’mon, let’s get out of these rocks,”

“Be careful, they’re slippery,” Her familiar warned. Marinette nodded, and started making her way back, giving cautious steps at a slow pace. She had been so terrified earlier that she had run without taking in the risk she had been running, lucky her that she didn’t fall, that would have been her death sentence.

Marinette kept her sight on the horizon, looking into the forest, still worrying that the men would come back with their wendigo. And that’s what she saw, at the distance another shadow was moving.

Marinette stopped and took a step back on the rocks, her foot slid more than she intentionally did, brushing the water of the lake. She was quick enough and managed to keep her balance.

She narrowed her eyes, trying to look if the shadow appeared again, ready to start running if the situation called for it.

That’s why she did not say it, that’s why she did not hear the splash of water. But her bond demon did.

“Marinette!” Tikki called her name, frightened. But the warning came too late.

The pale sparkling hand was already wrapped around her ankle and pulled her into the water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for the love you gave the first chapter :)  
> i know it's day 3, but this is day 2 prompt, i think this is how it's going to go (uni and work take most of my time so i only get to write late at night lol)
> 
> all the love!
> 
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	3. witching hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> witching hours: in folklore, the witching hour or devil's hour is a time of night associated with supernatural events. Creatures such as witches, demons, and ghosts are thought to appear and to be at their most powerful.

Marinette had no time to take a gasp of air before her head was under water.

She jolted from side to side and extended her hands to reach for the closest rock, but the limbs carrying her were stronger and pulled her down, into the deep.

The water was cold and turbulent, it was impossible to open her eyes and see something, but she did not need to look to know who her captors were.

The growing siren population was one of the many problems she had to take care of this year. She had had a few words with the queen of the herd in the coast, they had been terrifying a few elves and seducing some stupid men that visited the golden beach in the magic area, which caused her problems because the counsels would look for her and ask for explanations, that meant more, useless, work for her.

She had no idea they had a herd in the lake in the forest, though.

How could she not know? She was supposed to be aware of every little detail so she could take care of the valley.

But, she couldn’t think about it now, she had to come up with a plan and get out of there fast.

Magic was discarded. If they were mermaids she wouldn’t doubt it, but sirens would kill her and feed themselves with their blood on the instant she dared to cast a spell.

Sirens were playful, in a _cruel_ way. They did not have a high moral sense, and their impulse drove them to drown people so they could make them their toys. That ignorant playfulness would make a 180-degree twist if she even dared to think of using magic.

They couldn’t know she was a witch, her life was already on the line, and magic would only be her death sentence.

Witch blood was well desired by creatures like sirens, exorcists, spirits, and vampires, to say a few. The blood of a witch held an incredible amount of power that could give or enhance the abilities of dark creatures.

Marinette felt a scratch on her leg, and then more hands touching and groping her arms and waist.

She was losing her mind, she was so dependent on her magic that she couldn’t come with any other plan.

She wondered why it was taking so long for her to fall unconscious, she barely any air left on her lungs, and she was slowly starting to doze off, but she remained as strong as before.

Marinette closed her eyes, expecting it to help to focus and find a solution. That’s when she felt the tickling sensation running through her skin. This time it wasn’t the hands around her or the seaweed brushing on her body.

_Witching hour._

The moon was just in the right position over the sky, the energy of the comet was radiating at the right frequency and it was giving her strength. That’s why she hadn’t drowned already, she was getting help from the moon.

If she could have sighed, she would have.

She couldn’t come up with any plan that didn’t involve magic. Magic was part of her and she belonged to magic. Magic was the only option.

She knew she had to act quick. The moon was going to help her, but if she managed to take one of the crystal balls in her bag, she could increase her chances of survival.

Marinette opened her eyes and lifted her head to the dull source of light that leaked through the muddy water. Since she couldn’t talk, she would need as much connection to the moon as she could have, or her spells would be weaker than a fallen leaf in autumn.

Marinette did not know how deep into the water she was, she hoped it wasn’t much and that she still had the strength on her body so she could swim to the surface.

It was strange to cast a spell without saying a word, she had not done that in years. Charms were more powerful and useful when you said the right words. But now there was no other choice, she thought the spell and highlighted every word in her mind when she was about to say the last one, she closed her eyes.

The effect was immediate. A force came out of her body and pushed the sirens far away from her. Like if fireworks had come out of her and had attacked her enemies.

Marinette started kicking and bracing her arms, she moved as fast as her limbs and the thick water allowed her.

Her eyes started to irritate and she was lacking oxygen. She couldn’t hear or see if the sirens had made their way back to her, but it didn’t matter anymore, she knew what her fate would be.

This was it, Marinette was going to drown. She felt her heart jolting and her lungs contracting, every part of her body hurt like if she had been attacked with needles. She had done her best, but she was going to die, but at least she put on a fight, she had tried. Sadly, she had not succeeded, and now the sirens were going to take her blood.

She closed her eyes, ready to welcome her death. She heard the screams of the sirens and a fight. They were probably discussing who was going to take her blood first. And then she felt an arm wrapping around her waist, but she did not go down. Whoever it was, they grabbed her, pressed her against their warm body and swam with her, pulling her out of the water.

**xx**

Marinette moved her hand left and right against the ground, without moving her wrist. She wanted to make sure that what her fingertips were touching was grass because only seconds ago her hands had been cold and wet. They still were a little bit, but the familiar sensation of fresh grass was so warm against her skin that it felt like that nightmare had been years ago.

She opened her eyes and the moon welcomed her back. She gave a little smirk, feeling relieved.

Sirens, she had almost died at the hand of sirens. That was one story to tell Alya when she came back from wherever the hell she was.

“Oh, Marinette! I was so scared!” Tikki appeared in front of her face, she rubbed her tiny cheek against hers. Marinette laugh. Such odd mores for a demon.

“I’m fine now,” She assured. Marinette put all her weight on her elbows and started to sit down. She still felt a little dizzy, but she could breathe now, so it was not so bad, “How did you take me out?”

Tikki’s face changed. Her eyes opened wide and her mouth fell open. Marinette raised a brow at her.

“I did not take you out,” Tikki whispered.

“Then who?”

“H-h-he did,” Tikki pointed behind Marinette.

Why was she so nervous? This person had saved her life!

She was ready to greet her savior and thank him for taking her out of the water. She turned around with a smile on her face. And then she saw it.

_Another monster._

Marinette covered her mouth with her hands, in an attempt to repress the scream that came out from her throat, but it was too late.

Marinette crawled away, only stopping when she felt the rocks against her palms. She stopped, not wanting to fall back again into the water just because there was a monster in front of her.

She kept her sight in the monster, waiting for him to move, to follow her and attack her but nothing of that happened, instead, he took a few steps and stopped far away from her personal ratio, he kneeled to look her directly in the eyes and smiled.

“Are you okay?” The monster asked with the most tender voice she had ever heard in her life. How could a monster talk with so much sweetness? At the same time, he had a rough masculine voice, that made her get more confused.

Marinette rubbed her eyes so she could focus her sight. At second glance, he was not so intimidating.

He had bright green eyes, like the ones of a cat. His skin was so dark that it glimmered with a purplish pigment, he had, ears, fangs and claws, alluding to the ones of a wild cat.

He looked like a monster, not like any other she had seen before, but as proved by the encounter with the wendigo of an hour before, she had not seen a big amount of monsters in her short magic life. However, there was something odd about this one in front of her.

It cost her more than she would like to admit, to point out what was exactly different about him.

 _He was wearing clothes._ And, ignoring the monster characteristics, his frame was like the one of a human.

There was no way he was a real monster, but what was he?

“I’m fine…” Marinette answered. The terrifying sensation that took over his body was leaving already, now her body was being filled with curiosity, “Thank you for saving me,” She made a reverence with her head.

“Oh… you’re welcome, it was nothing,” He answered, giving a little bow in return.  

“I’m Marinette,” She introduced herself, “May I ask your name?”  
His mouth fell on a straight line. Apparently, that was not a good question to start the conversation.

Marinette was not surprised, there were multiple magical beings that would prefer to keep their names a secret because of security reasons. It was understandable when it came to her, she had no problem sharing her name, but she kept hid her witch status until she was a hundred percent sure she was safe.

The cat-like-creature sighed and put on a sweet toothy smile.

“You can call me Chat Noir,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cat boy makes his appearance :)  
> thank you for the sweet comments! i'm happy you guys are enjoying x


	4. ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ghosts: a disembodied soul

 

**DAY 4: GHOSTS.**

 

Marinette was soaked from head to toe. She could change that with a little bit of magic, but she was still shaken by her near-death experience. Besides, the monster -who she was sure was not exactly a monster after a few minutes spent with him-, was still with her, following her in her way back come. She did not have the heart to tell him to leave, she had tried to but seeing his incredibly expressive face even behind that cat aspect, she could not tell him to leave her alone. 

He was scared, she could tell by the way he moved, and he was looking for someone to help him out. She couldn’t offer her help yet, she had to get to know him better first, she could not give her trust to someone she had just met. So, she walked wet and cold. 

Marinette wanted to ask him more question, to have more information about him and have a correct hypothesis of what was going on with him, but he was awfully quiet and she did not want to bother him. 

Because of his company, she had let Tikki go back to her dimension. The little demon had been a little reluctant to leave her with the strange creature, warning her about his eerie energy, but since she did not point to anything in concrete, she decided to brush it off. Tikki’s forte was not sensing energies, so there was a big chance that she could be wrong. 

She had already decided that Chat Noir was everything but scary, he was an incredibly well-mannered cat, and he was respectful of her personal space, that won him lots of points, and he was tender. She could tell by the way he avoided certain spots on the ground, and how he walked away from a few trees. He knew magical marks and how sacred they could be to some creatures, and she was impressed by that attitude. 

“You know your way across the forest,” She pointed out. 

“I know a thing or two of creatures of the woods,” He answered, “But if I have succeeded to avoid and pay my respect to the right thinks, it has been pure luck,” 

“Don’t doubt your abilities,” she said. There was no way it was just pure luck, which turned him just more interesting that he was before. 

The study of magical creatures and their rituals was extent, not everyone had the time, the money or the patience to do so. She only had because it was a requirement for being a witch and to have access to a high-rank title, if not she would be as ignorant as any other person in the valley, who only knew what they heard on old stories and gossip. 

“Marinette,” He whispered, 

“Yes?” 

“Are you okay with me following you? I don’t know where I am or where to go, but I’ve realized I never asked if I could go with you, I’m sorry if I overstep, you have known me for thirty minutes at least,” His voice was shaking as he spoke, “And I’m sure you’re still frightened by my appearance. Can’t blame you, I’m pretty horrified myself,”

“I was taken back at first glance, but you’re not scary as I first thought,” Marinette said. She couldn’t deny that he looked like a monster, but she didn’t want him to feel bad, “And you’re not overstepping. There’s a wendigo prowling the woods, it's beneficial for both of us to be together,”

He didn’t answer but he smiled. She imagined that if he could have blushed, he would have. 

They kept walking, Marinette guiding the path and him following in silence and taking her every order, jumping when she said to, running when she said to and hiding if they needed to. 

Marinette did not know every corner of the forest, but she could do a pretty good job locating herself, so pretty quickly they made it back to the safest place of the forest. She knew those places quite well, here was where she came to look for her stock of  _ Korrigan  _ hair, it did wonders in healing potions.    
The moon lighted up this part of the forest just right, and since witching hours were still running, she felt the energy drench her with power. 

Marinette looked around, seeing if there was any silver hair lying around that she could take home. She was distracted by a shiver down her spine. 

She gave a little smirk. Maybe her luck wasn’t so bad tonight. 

She looked back at Chat Noir. He was standing steps away from her, he probably had stopped walking for a minute or so. His body was rigid, his hands in fits, impossible to see his claws, and he was growling. 

Marinette looked in the direction his gaze was held and saw them. 

Was he scared of ghosts? It was not an unusual fear, but he showed so much knowledge of other creatures traditions that she would have thought that he would know better than to fear helpless lost souls.

Marinette ran to where he stood, he was paralyzed and needed help. He had saved her life, so the obvious was to repay him. 

Marinette touched his arm, she was doubtful at first, but after seeing the fear on his eyes, she decided it was okay. 

“Hey, it’s fine,” She assured him. She smiled, she tried to be as tender as she could while moving her hand from his arm to his clawed hand. “Walk with me,”   
He did as she said. His body was still tense, and he was constantly shifting his head, glaring at the ghost who came closer every second that passed by. 

Marinette stopped looking at him, there was something odd about watching someone in so much distress and not being able to do anything to help. She focused her sight on their hands. They were holding hands like they had known each other for years like they trusted each other. 

She wondered why she wasn’t uncomfortable with the gesture. Not in a million years would have she imagined that she would be holding hands with a monster. 

_ Not a monster.  _ She reminded herself, but sadly, until she knew what he really was that was what he was to her.  

“Marinette!” A voice that sounded like someone was about to break in tears called her name. She did not have to turn around to know who it was, and she started smiling as a reflex. 

“Hello, Mrs. Bai,” Marinette turned to the left, where the voice came from and greeted the pale lady in front of them with a bow of her head. She looked from the corner of her eye and saw Chat Noir imitating her. 

“It’s been so long since I last saw you, sweetie,” Mrs. Bai said, standing close to her. 

Mrs. Bai looked at her and then at Chat Noir, her eyes grew in fear, she looked back at Marinette and then calmed down again. Whatever her train of thought had been, she was happy she had not commented about Chat Noirs. 

“I’ve been busy, this is a special occasion, if I had known I had to come to the forest I would have let you know and we would have had a drink,” 

“Next time,” Mrs. Bai laughed, “Do you need anything, pumpkin?”   
“I think my stock of tears is on the good levels, so don’t worry, keep enjoying your night,” 

“Thank you,” Mrs. Bai answered and bowed. “I’ll see you some other time, Marinette,”   
“Have a nice night, Mrs. Bai,” She waved her goodbye. 

Mrs. Bai started walking away and at the last moment, she turned around. 

“Marinette,” She called.

“Yes?”

“Remember: real monsters don’t  _ look _ like monsters,” 

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. What did that mean? Was that because of Chat Noir? No, it couldn’t be, he did look like a monster. She must have been high on fairy dust or something. That was Mrs. Bai, wise but incredibly wrong half of the time. 

“Was she a ghost?” Chat Noir asked, interrupting her thoughts. 

“Yes,” Marinette nodded. “They come up at these times of the night, sometimes at twilight or dawn. Mrs. Bai usually does at dawn, that’s how I know her. She is really sweet,”

“I’d never seen a ghost before,” 

“Really? They’re not uncommon,” Marinette raised a brow at him, skeptical. Where did he come from that he had never seen a ghost? They are as usual as daylight, maybe if it was a spirit it would be a different story, but a ghost? really?

“From where I come from, not many people die,” 

Marinette gulped, that didn’t sound good. If not many people died, that meant he was close to vampire and succubus territory, and that wasn’t pretty no matter how you tried to look at it. 

“Well, the valley is different,” Marinette answered, “You’ll see. Is there anywhere you would like to go?”

“I don’t have anywhere to go, I ran away from home,”   
“Oh,” She was not expecting that. 

His cat ears lowered like the ones of a real cat would, and his tail -that he had just noticed- whipped the floor in a nervous manner. 

He was interesting indeed, and she felt so much pity for him, there was something that was not right with him, and she was not only curious to figure it out what it was, she also wanted to help. 

So without thinking it twice, she said. “C’mon, follow me home. I’ll lend you a bed,” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i struggle with this chapter, don't know if you can tell.   
> i wanted to add nino and alya here, but they didn't fit the story i'm trying to portray, they felt like an odd piece of a puzzle. i think if this wasn't spooktober and there wasn't 1 prompt for each day, i might have done something with it.   
> whatever, i'm rambling, i hope you enjoyed it!


	5. costume party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> costume party: a costume party or costume ball is a party at which the guests try to look like famous people or people from history, from stories, or from particular professions.

 

 

When Marinette offered Chat Noir a place to stay, she had not considered that at some point the sun was going to rise again and the few, but still existent, creatures and humans that visited the valley would come out. 

That meant customers. That meant opening the door, letting them in and bringing them to her consulting room, reading them and choosing the perfect spell, charm or magic object to give to them, and that meant that there was a ninety percent chance they would see Chat Noir because he was impossible to ignore. 

He was a cat monster, with intimidating eyes, and so tall that he had to crouch so he could go from room to room. When he sat on her divan, it looked like he was inside of an elf’s house, he looked so big in contrast to the pink couch. 

His tail was another problem that was driving Marinette crazy. It curled, it whipped and it moved at free will. His tail had already dropped a few flasks and a vase, none had broke because both Marinette and Chat Noir had swift reflex, but she was still anxious and could follow its track whenever she saw it move. 

Marinette was looking for a solution. It was already fifteen minutes past two pm, her customers would start knocking at her door any minute now. 

“Do you need help?” Chat Noir asked from the kitchen. He was drinking a glass of water, he had not touched his food and Marinette was starting to worry about that, but that was a problem for another time, right now she really needed a way to hide him.    
“You wouldn’t know what I’m looking for,” 

“If you describe it, I can be useful,” 

“You wouldn’t,” Marinette denied, “You see my studio and my workshop and you’ll think is a mess, but it’s actually organized, so if you move and place things in other places it’ll take me months to find any other thing. I can do it just fine,” 

“Then why don’t you call for the thing you’re looking for? A little bit of magic could help,” He suggested. 

Marinette turned to look at him. She blinked fast and opened her mouth surprised. 

“I already know you’re a witch, Marinette,”    
“Me? A witch? What are you talking about?” Marinette huffed and rolled her eyes. 

“There’s no need to hide it, I’ve already figured it out. I may look like a stupid monster but I still have my brain functioning right,”

“I did not mean to imply you were stupid,” Marinette said in a low voice. 

“I understand. Witches have to take care of themselves, your blood has a high price on the market,” 

“You’re really enlightened on these subjects, it’s odd. From where did you say you came?”

“I rather not say,” He answered, “There’s a price on my head, the less you know about me, the better,”

“I don’t think is fair that you know my secret and I don’t know yours, besides, I’m giving you a shelter where you can crash in,”   
“Yours was barely a secret, ‘Nette. There’s a sign on your door with a pentagram on it,” He chuckled. Then his expression changed, maybe he had realized the nickname he had just given her. 

Marinette pouted. He was right and he knew it, she could see the little smile he was trying to hide from her. 

She felt so annoyed but wanting to laugh at the same time. There was something so serene about him, that made her forget that he had just met him and that he looked like a monster because his actions were not the ones of an evil being.

What could have happened to him to be so secretive? He had been hiding from someone, or something, in the woods and he was hiding now too, he only had changed of location. 

“I can’t know anything about you?”

“It’s for the best. I shouldn’t be here, but… I don’t like being alone,” He whispered. 

Marinette touched her lower lip with her index finger and analyzed him in one look. 

“You can’t even tell me since when you’ve been like this? I can tell you’re not a mo-- cat,” Marinette said, choking with her words at the last moment. 

“I guess that I can tell,” He nodded, “It’s only been a week, maybe two, I’ve lost track of time,”

“What happened?”

“I--

“--rather not say.” Marinette interrupted and completed the sentence for him. 

“I’m sorry,”

“It’s fine, I’m used to it. People are protective over their lives and secrets, it’s only normal,” Marinette shrugged, “I see a lot of troubled people, I know what to expect,”

“Thank you,” His eyes narrowed with softness, “So, what are you looking for?”

“A necklace,” Marinette explained, “Customers will appear soon, I can’t let them see you,”

“This necklace will make me invisible?”

“No,” She brushed her hands in the air, “I could do that with a charm but if it requires energy, and I’ll be channeling all my magic to the people who ask for my help, I need to read them well. If I put an invisible spell on you - who’s real species I’m not aware of- most of my energy will drift towards you. We need a charm that I’ve already designed, and that has recollected energy before,” 

“Ah, and what does it do then?”

“Have you ever been to a costume party, Chat Noir?” She asked, the corners of her lips going up.

“Not really,” 

“Such a shame, good thing I’m here to fix it,” She said, “The necklace will create a small illusion, you’ll look like someone else. Your shape and voice will be the same, but whoever visits will see another thing,” 

“A costume… fun,” He clicked his tongue, letting his fangs shine under the light of the sun leaking through the windows, “When I was little, mom would make costumes for me, my father didn't like them so I barely get to use them. I remember I liked them,” 

Marinette’s heart stopped a beat. He did not say much, but it was not the way he said it what made Marinette feel sad, it was how expressive he was through his moves and voice, it was really easy to read him. Now she knew, he did not have the best family. 

“Well, which costume was your favorite?”

“I don’t really remember. Probably a fairy, I liked glitter a lot when I was little,” That made Marinette giggled, it sounded adorable. 

“You can be a fairy now if you would like to. Fairies visit me all the time, no one will suspect,”

“That sounds like fun,” His pupils dilated, eyes glowing greener. “You’re great, Marinette,”

“Good thing you noticed,” She joked with a smug smile on her face. 

Marinette kept looking for the necklace, after twenty minutes of intense searching, she found it inside of a pot of succulents. She had no idea how it got there, but she was so happy to found it that she did not question herself. 

“Here it is!” Marinette announced and ran to the studio, where Chat Noir was currently playing with one of the balls of wool. That made her laugh, he really acted like a cat. 

“So how does it work?” He asked, putting his attention on her by pushing the ball away. 

“You put it on, I say a few words and you mentalize what you want to be. It’ll work for eight hours at most, but we’ll be fine with that, we don’t need more,”

“Okay, let’s do it then, ‘Nette,” 

That nickname again, no one had ever called her by a nickname. Maybe Alya, but she called most people “girl” and a very few times M. Not sure if those counted as nicknames. It was new but she liked it. 

“Put it on,” She said, throwing him the necklace. He caught it mid-way and did as she said. 

“Ready,” He said. He stood in the middle of the room, too close for comfort but Marinette kept it to herself. 

“Any experiences with magic?” Marinette asked. A shadow crossed his eyes, something odd that made Marinette expect a lie coming from him. 

“I’ve used some charms made by witches before,” He answered. 

Marinette rose a brow, waiting for more of the story but nothing came. She sighed, she said she was used to it but it didn’t make it less frustrating. 

“Well this will be different, you may feel a tingling sensation, maybe nausea if you’re too nervous or itchy skin, but I’ll pass soon,” He nodded. “Are you ready?” He nodded again. 

Marinette put her arms in front of her and wrapped her hands around her wrists. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. 

“ _ The power of mirrors and smoke, the lies I’ve never and always told, the illusion, the confusion, the endless look, and questioning soul, lend me your look!”  _ She chanted. 

A red light started blinking inside the necklace and a swirly glimmer lie of light involved Chat Noir, and when it disappeared a  _ Flaga _ stood on his place. 

“I thought you said fairies were your favorite,” Marinette said, tilting her head. 

“It would make sense for a Flaga to visit a with and be present on her readings, at least more sense than a fairy,” That was so... thoughtful? She had given him the chance to look as however, he wanted to, but he had put  _ her _ first. He was adorable.    

Marinette smiled from ear to ear, “You want to know something, Chat Noir? You’re quite great too,” 


	6. "scared?" "no way!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "scared?": a question someone asks another person, fully aware that this person is in fact, scared.  
> "no way!": what a person who's obviously scared answer to someone who teases them for being scared.

Marinette received thirty-five people that day. She did twenty card readings and three hypnosis, the other customers were old visitors, so she just had to supply them with their old prescriptions and she was done.

Not a single customer asked about the _Flaga_ on her study or was curious about his odd cat tendencies. Marinette could mark this day as successful.

The twilight was approaching to its peak, the sky was turning orange and fading into purple, blue spots appearing on the highest parts of the sky and the moon was only a few hours away, which Marinette appreciated, she felt weak and needed a burst of energy from the lunar light.

With her mind out of her job, Marinette was able to focus on the second most important problem of the day. Chat Noir’s lack of appetite.

She told him he could go around the kitchen and take whatever he pleased, but he had only drunk water during the whole day. Why wasn’t he eating? Was this part of his tragedy? Being turned into a giant cat and not being able to eat sounded like a terrible curse.

Marinette turned around the sign on her door, from open to closed, and locked the house. She snapped with both of her hands, and a purple glow appeared around the door. No one would be able to approach the door, no matter how hard they tried. That’s how she assured, no unwanted customers would drop at her door at late hours of the night.

With that done, she gave little jumps until she reached the kitchen, where Chat Noir was taking a glass of water again.

It was quite entertaining to see a big cat drinking water as a person would, especially because he had a hard time grasping the glass of water with the paws and the claws.

“You have not eaten anything at all,” Marinette said.

“I’m not hungry,” Of course he said that it was the only thing he answered.

“I don’t believe you,” Marinette shook her head. She took a few steps forward to be as close to him as she was uncomfortable with because the kitchen was little, and him so big. “Unless you’re cursed and you can’t eat, which is a little extreme if you ask me, even those horrible vampires have to eat,”

Chat Noir looked at her crestfallen. Had she said something wrong? Was he actually cursed and he couldn’t eat?

“I can eat,” He mumbled.

“Then why aren’t you,”

“I can’t eat your food,”

“I gave you permission,” Marinette laughed confused.

“No… I mean…”

“What? You can tell me,” Marinette tilted her head, and moved so she could be right on his camp of vision. “I’ll understand,”

“You’re way too kind for your own good, Marinette,” He said, “You invite a monster into your house like its nothing and then worry because he won’t eat,”

“You’re harmless,”

“Or so you think,” He said between clenched teeth, exposing his pointed fangs, that shined of how white they were.

“You’ve not given me evidence of the contrary,”

“You’re gonna get yourself killed like this, Nette… _I’m_ gonna get _you_ killed,” He hid her face behind his paws, his claws brushing away pieces of his hair, “I should leave,”  
“ **_No_ ** ,” Marinette’s heart sank. “You don’t have to go, I’m a tough witch, I can protect myself. Also, I’m protecting you and this conversation was about food, why are you being so serious and dark out of the blue?”

“Because I need to hunt,” He spat, “I need to go outside and find my “food” and for what I’ve seen today, there are no monsters like me going around the valley and people respect you enormously,” Chat Noir sighed, “If they saw you with me... “

“Don’t be silly,” Marinette lifted his chin and smiled at him. “This is nothing a quick invisibility spell can’t fix,”

“Marine--

“Wait here!” She said, lifting her index finger at him before running to her room.

She closed the door and started to undress. She had been wearing a short black dress and her pointy purple hat the whole day, and while she liked it, she couldn’t go to the forest wearing that.

She looked around her messy room. The bed under the window was undone and covered in other pieces of clothing, the floor had socks and boots everywhere and the frames and watch on the walls were upside down or about to fall. She had really gone a bit crazy with her magic today while looking for a cute outfit to wear.

She started picking up the clothing until she found an outfit she liked. And let the mess as it was, there was no time for cleaning.

Marinette put on a pair of burgundy fabric shorts, black high knee socks, a white blouse with ruffles that peaked a part of her stomach. She took her black cape and tied it around her neck with a bow, making sure it was not going to untie easily. She ran to the entrance hall and looked out for her boots, the only ones that were not sprawled on her bedroom floor.

Once she was ready she came back to the kitchen.

Chat Noir was in the same spot as he was before.

“Let’s go,”  
“Where are we going?” His face made a weird expression when he asked.

“To hunt, of course, you’re hungry!” Marinette gave a little jump and lifted her hands with joy “We’re going to the forest,”

“The one we were yesterday?!” He shouted.

Marinette couldn’t help but give a big laugh.

“Scared?” Marinette looked at him with amusement, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

“ _No way_ ,” He huffed and shrugged, looking away from her. “I just ask because you seemed worried yesterday,”

Marinette hid her mouth behind her hand and giggled. He was scared, how adorable.

But he wasn’t wrong, she was worried about last night events, there was no chance of visiting that forest again.

“Don’t worry, kitty cat, we’re going to another forest. It’s a little further away, but not much. You can find a few deer you’ll be able to feed off,”

“Oh, that sounds good,” He whispered.

“Of course it does! It was my idea after all,” Marinette wiggled her hands and marked her frame. Chat Noir laughed, and Marinette stopped for a second to contemplate the creature in front of her.

His laugh was rich and just as masculine as his voice, but there was something that made her think of a kid. That laugh radiated real happiness, and when she looked at him it was impossible to see anything but sorrow, so to hear him like that, warmed her heart.

“Since it’s far and it could be dangerous for us to go walking, I’ll have to ask for the help of a friend,” Marinette said, “Let’s go out of the kitchen, if I call her there she’ll see the cookie jar and we will never be able to leave,”

Chat Noir looked puzzled but he didn’t ask, he just followed her to the studio.

Marinette ordered him to stay in the door, and she stood in the middle of the room.

Marinette pressed her middle and index finger on top of her mouth and kissed them, getting ready to call her familiar. She extended her hand and she chanted the words. In a matter of seconds, Tikki was back in their dimension.

“Marinette!” She smiled and flew with euphoria towards her master, “I’m so glad you called me, I was worried sick!”

“Thanks for the worry, but I’m fine, Tikki,” She said, petting the little demon’s head with her finger. “I’m going to need your help, again,”

“You know you always have my help,” She clapped. She twirled in the air and stopped abruptly, her sight fixating on the creature on the door. “Master hide!”  
“Instincts are not your thing, are they Tikki?” Marinette sighed, “Don’t worry, cute bug, he is not dangerous,”  
“Don’t be fooled, Marinette, there’s a strange energy coming from him,”

“Stop talking nonsense,” Marinette brushed her away with her hand, “He is Chat Noir and he is a friend. Chat Noir this is Tikki, my familiar,”

“Pleased to meet you, Tikki” Chat Noir bowed with his head.

Tikki crossed her tiny arms in front of her chest. “I can’t say the same,”

“Tikki, don’t be rude,”

“I won’t say anything if you ask me not to, but it won’t mean I trust him,” Marinette rolled her eyes.

“You don’t have to trust him, you have to trust me. However, that is not what is important now,” Marinette said, glaring at the demon, “I need my wings,”  
“Sure, do your thing,” Tikki muttered.

Marinette got tired of Tikki’s attitude awfully fast, so she didn’t warn her before taking her and chain her to the earrings, so she could be possessed and take her powers.

The light of her blend wrapped her, making her close her eyes so they wouldn’t be burnt.

When she opened her eyes, the iris was red as Tikki’s body and she had her wings.

Marinette put her hands on her hips and spun on her heels, facing Chat Noir.

“Ta-da!” She fluttered her wings and lifted a few centimeters of the wooden floor.

“They look like the ones of a ladybug,” He pointed out. He followed the line of the wings with his paws, not quite touching them, but Marinette felt the heat of them surround her.

“Well, I’m the Witch of Luck,” Marinette said, “And people associate ladybugs with luck, so I thought it fit,”

“They’re beautiful,”

“Thank you,” Marinette said most sincerely. “Now let’s go. I hope you’re not too heavy because then I won’t be able to fly with you,”

“This is going to be interesting,” Chat Noir said before she crossed her arms under his arms and lifted him off the ground.

**xx**

 

The flight to the forest took them fifteen minutes and it was as fun for Marinette as it was scary for Chat Noir. He was whining the whole trip, worrying that he could fall, no matter how many times Marinette guaranteed him that there was nothing to worry about, he came up with another terrible scenario where he fell and died, or where _she_ fell and died.

She thought of teasing him, making him believe she lost her grip and let him fall a few centimeters before catching him again, but after considering it a few minutes she preferred not to. She was not about to lose his trust because of a stupid joke.

It was strange that she felt so confident with a complete stranger, and that she had affection towards him, but he was _so likable_.

Behind the black fur, the claws and the fangs, behind everything that made him look like a monster, a golden heart glimmered, shadowing all the bad things, only enlightening the pure soul that she was sure he had.

She promised herself she was going to help him out. She just had to make him talk, let her know what had happened so she could investigate and find a solution. She was the High Witch of Luck and love, she was powerful enough to use her powers and bring his real self back.

Right now, she was waiting close to a lake, where hobgoblins were splashing and picking fights with each other, and a group of nymphs were braiding their hair. It was quiet and she felt secure, so she waited there.

She had offered to  accompany him as he hunted, but he said he would be embarrassed if she saw him eating. She didn’t ask twice, she let him go alone.

But, Marinette was starting to get bored.

Nymphs were superficial and when they saw her they started gossiping about her. Marinette didn’t care about their opinion, but they really had to be that loud? And hobgoblins were entertaining the first ten minutes, after fifteen they were just kids and she felt like strangling them.

So when she heard footsteps in the distance she stood up from the rock and looked around until she saw the shadow of a cat.

“I’m done, ‘Nette,” Chat Noir called her, running in her direction, using her four limbs to do so.

Marinette started running too, so she could meet him halfway. “How was your meal, chaton?”

“Fantastic, thank you for insisting and bringing me here,” He said without looking at her, and placing one arm in front of his face.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” She asked.

“My face and my fangs are splattered in blood,” He murmured, “It’s ugly, please don’t look at me,”

“You’re so cute,” Marinette bit her lip as she checked him out. “Let’s go to the--” Marinette was distracted by a blue light that made its way behind Chat Noir.

“Marinette?” He asked, returning his attention to him. “What were you saying?”

“Uh,” Marinette rubbed the back of her neck, she was still following the blue luminescence “Oh, yeah, eh, go to the lake,” Marinette pointed to her back with her thumb, “Don’t move from there and I’ll be there with you any minute,”

“Why? Where are you going?”

“Do as I say,” She said.

She shook her hand and threw magic to him, readjusting the invisibility spell as she begun to run, following the blue light.

She heard Chat Noir calling her, but he didn’t follow. Luckily, he respected her orders, if he did not he would have stopped we already, and she wouldn’t be able to catch a _Igig_ i. And she would never forgive him if she stopped her from catching one.

Marinette quickly reminded that she had her wings and started flying. In the air, she moved her hands around like she was holding a ball and slowly a crystal sphere appeared between them.

Marinette was as quiet as possible and fast but not too much so the Igigi wouldn’t notice her. It was after five minutes of chasing that the Igigi slowed down and Marinette was able to make her move.

She threw the sphere to the light, with her other hand took a crystal ball from her bag and blew air at it, with that maneuver she successfully imprisoning the deity.

Marinette caught the crystal ball on her hands and looked at the creature bouncing around the structure, trying to find a way out. Marinette looked at it with triumph.

An Igigi! This was her lucky day!

She came back to the ground and started walking back to the lake, examining her catch every once in a while. She couldn’t help but wear a big smile.

She had not gone too far, but she was walking now, it could take her longer than when she was flying, but that didn’t matter. The most energy she focused on keeping the Igigi chained to the crystal ball, the better her chances of keeping it were.

A strange odor called her attention when she was passing by a set of fallen trees. She turned to the place it was coming and saw the corpse of a deer.

Marinette took a step back, frightened by it at first glance, but then remembering that she was the one who had brought Chat Noir hunting.

However, there was something weird about this deer. It was dead, but its body was intact, well, excepf its neck, who appeared to be snapped, the fur stained in red.

Marinette took a step closer, her curiosity was tickling her skin. She took two more and then the crystal ball shook on her hands.

She looked at her little prisoner and sighed.

There were more important things that a deer to take care off.

She turned around and kept walking back to the lake. She would be reuniting with Chat Noir soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as i was writing i realized something: i'm making marinette a furry.  
> i can't believe my life has gotten to a point where that is true.. woah
> 
> thanks for all the support and lovely comments! i can't answer to all of them, since i'm posting a chapter per day and have tons of other stuff at university and my job going on.
> 
> love yall!
> 
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	7. fake blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fake blood: theatrical blood or stage blood is anything used as a substitute for blood in a theatrical or cinematic performance.
> 
> but actually i give it a twist here, so let's all just forget that definition :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TW: BLOOD.**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> TW: SIN? i wouldn't say it's too graphic or anything, but you're warned.  
> i don't know if i should change the rating of the fic, let me know if you think so. x

It had already been a week since Chat Noir had first appear, but it felt like a year.

The relationship she had built up with him was unique and beautiful and she wouldn’t change it for anything in the world, but she couldn’t deny that it was going fast.

As the Witch of Love, she knew a thing or two of instant connections, and how real and strong they could be, she never imagined it would happen to her. She was still in denial and wouldn’t say it out loud but the deepest part of her knew exactly what was going on, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

Even her customers liked him. Disguised as a Flaga, he would chit chat with the people that came inside, he would tell them stories, he would comment on their stories, he would compliment them, he would even flirt with them.

Marinette giggled at the memories, he really was one of a kind.

Marinette stretched her arms and moved her neck from side to side, she could feel all the tension building up inside of her.

Another day had ended, a busy one, she had received more customers than any other day of the month and she was exhausted.

She was dragging her feet against the wood floor, crestfallen, arms down, leaning on the walls to keep herself on her feet. They had drained her, a good night of sleep was well deserved.

Before she could make it to the studio, she was lifted off the ground. Warm and fuzzy arms wrapped around her and started carrying her towards her bedroom.

She nuzzled against his chest, and closed her eyes, waiting for him to drop her on her bed.

He did, but not without first throwing the clothes and papers on top, to the floor.

“Be careful, I like my things,” She mumbled.

“Oh, I know, maybe that’s why you liked them displayed all the time,” He huffed. Marinette giggled.

She lied in bed and moved to the corner pressed to the wall, patting the mattress, inviting him to lie with her. He accepted immediately, this was not new. He was always where she was, holding her, or receiving her love in caress form.

Marinette hugged him, he pressed his head against her chest and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his body.

Marinette’s heart fluttered and she did her best to ignore it.

“You smell different today,” Chat Noir said.

“Bad different or good different?” Marinette asked, brushing the fur on his head.

“Not as sweet as you usually do, it’s not bad, but I like your usual smell,” He explained “I like sweet things,”

Marinette’s cheeks burned, to brush off her embarrassment she changed the subject.  

“I had cookie chips yesterday, you didn’t try one,”

“Because I can’t like this,” He answered, the frustration on his voice was loud and clear “But when I’m in my real form I can eat sweets for days. My father hates it,”

“Your father sounds like a terrible man, _mon minou,_ ”

“He can be,” He sighed “But he loves me and I love him,”

“Then why did you run away?”

“It has nothing to do with that,” He hissed. Marinette jolted and pushed her body away from him, but he didn’t let her. He looked at her eyes, took her hand and gave it a little kiss. “I’m sorry, it’s a touchy subject,”

“I can notice, but don’t you think I deserve to know a little? I have this puzzle in my mind that I’m creating, trying to tie all the information you implicitly give, I want to help you, kitty, why won’t you let me?”

“Because I don’t want to give you any trouble. I shouldn’t be here at all, but I can’t leave, I like being with you, but I can involve you in my business,”

“I’m asking to be involved,” She cupped his face, “I’m a powerful witch, I can figure this out,”

Chat Noir avoided her gaze.  

“Or is that you don’t want to go back to who you are?”

His emotionlessly dry laugh echoed in the room. “Marinette, Marinette, do you really think I like to be this abomination?”

“No,” She answered, hurt by the way he formulated the question, “But you sure act as you do,”

“Believe me I would go back to my handsome self immediately, if that didn’t put anyone in danger, especially you,”  
Marinette rose a brow, even if he couldn’t see her, “ _Handsome self?_ Are you a charming guy, kitty cat?”

“Your knees would be weak and you would melt to the ground if you saw my real face, _my lady,_ ” Marinette chuckled and rolled her eyes. The new nickname just made the sentence funnier than it should have been.

“Wouldn’t have labeled you as a narcissist, Chat Noir,” Marinette said, rubbing behind his ear.

“It’s not narcissism if it’s true,” He answered, starting to purr.

Marinette smiled by the pleasing sensation of his purr. She had been sleeping with him by her side for a few nights now, and the purring was the most relaxing feeling she never knew she needed. As if she was conditioned, she started to doze off.

“Mari, you haven’t take your bath yet,” Chat Noir whispered against her ear.

Marinette sniffed, she blinked fast and rubbed her cheeks before standing up of the bed.

“Thank you for the reminder,” Marinette kissed his head and walked towards the bathroom, “And… our conversation is not over,” She twirled her finger and send a few sparks to tickle his nose.

**xx**

Bath time was usually relaxing. It was her way of washing the day off, both literally and mentally. Her bathroom was actually one of her favorite rooms in the cottage. It was small but there was enough space for a big pearl bathtub, stained in the different colors her magic could take. The tiles on the floor were pink and the tiles on the walls were so white that reflected the floor in more pastel colors. She felt like she was inside of a cloud most of the time.

Tonight was different because it was the first time in the whole day she had been alone with her thoughts and they wouldn’t leave her alone.

She hugged her legs and pressed them close to her chest. She submerged her face until the water reached her upper lip and started making bubbles in the water.

When was Alya going back? She needed to bent with someone, she needed to let these strange overwhelming feelings out with someone who could bring logic into them, and Alya was that. Where was that fox?!

The things she felt around Chat Noir were not normal. How soothing his presence, and how much she relied on it after a week was something to fear. She had brought a monster into her house and she had attached herself to him. She was not in her right mind.

She knew that under that curse that made him look like a cat, he was someone else, and apparently a handsome guy, but it was still nerve-wracking to wonder. What if he was a gnome? She wouldn’t make it out alive if he was a gnome, she would die of shame.

However, he was too tall to be a gnome and the chances that the curse had changed him that drastically were low.

“Agh!” Marinette screamed, mumbling the sound by plunging.

Her thoughts were a disaster. She could blame them on her exhaustion, but she knew that was a bad excuse.

She went out of the water, threw her head back and supported her head with the edge of the bath. She sighed as loud as she could, challenging all her frustration into it.

She ran her fingers through her hair, untying the bun she had put on her head before entering the bathtub. Her hair fell on top her shoulders, only a few pieces of her touched the water.

Nothing she did was relaxing, her thoughts were too loud, preventing her body and soul to feel at ease.

Marinette stood up, she came out of the bathtub and wrapped her body on a towel. She walked to the mirror and took a hydrating cream to put on her face.

When she looked at her reflection, her vision was blurry. She rubbed her eyes in an attempt to correct it, but it didn’t help.

Marinette’s stomach twisted and she felt nauseous. She turned around, she grasped the edges of the sink and leaned her body against it.

She started focusing on her breathe, and looked for a point on the horizon, seeing the bathtub in the corner of her eye, but that was enough to catch her attention.

The crystalline water had been replaced by a thick red liquid. The faucet was open, filling the bathtub over the top. The blood was dripping to the floor, making puddles on the bathroom floor.

Marinette felt weak, her knees trembled and she fell to the floor.

The blood covered the whole floor, slowly flooding the room, and drowning Marinette in it.

Marinette could tell this was a vision, she had them every once in a while, but she despised blood so much that she couldn’t make herself go back to the real world. The fear paralyzed her.

The blood was covering her to her waist now, and she couldn’t move. She had to do something, she had to use magic and vanish the vision but the shivers down her spine kept coming and she started crying.

She let out an agonizing scream.

The door opened with a big thud only seconds after her scream and Chat Noir entered the bathroom. He kneeled in front of her and locked his glance with hers.

“What’s wrong, my lady?”

Marinette opened her trembling mouth and pointed to the bathtub, only remembering he couldn’t see it, it was only for her eyes to presence.

She sobbed, more tears fell on her cheeks and she hid her face behind her hands.

Chat Noir took her hand and pulled her in a hug. Marinette wrapped her arms around him immediately.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, holding him made the fantasy slowly walk away, because he was real and he was there, for her.

Marinette opened her eyes and watched the fading change, the water reappearing and the bathroom in the real conditions that it was. Steam was floating around, the puddles were of water and not blood, and her body was not stained in red like she had seen it before, she only had the drops of water falling from the points of her hair.

Nonetheless, she was still altered by the vision, the tears were still falling and she was sobbing uncontrollably.

“No, no, don’t cry, Nette,” Chat Noir said. He lifted her off the floor like she weighed nothing and carried her on his arms. He sat on the edge of the bathtub and put her on his lap. “Tell me what’s going on, I’m all ears,” He said and flapped his to make a remark.

Marinette smiled but her pout came back quickly, her fear was still predominating her feelings. However, she appreciated the gesture and thanked him by caressing his cheek.

They shared a look, she could see the concern inside his eyes, and she was sure that he could see the fear in hers. But, looking at those mysterious eyes, the scary emotion dissipated quick enough.

His eyes glowed in a strange shade of green, it was like there was a mix of red in it, but that couldn’t be. Next thing she knew, a wave of heat hit her, spreading all over her body.

She closed her eyes and got immersed in the new sensation.

She opened her mouth and a gasp escaped her lips. She licked her lower lip without opening her eyes.

The colors swirling around her were too bright to look at, the smells and sounds around her, made her feel like her skin was burning.

She felt lightheaded and a thousand images crossed her mind and only one stayed. The image of a young handsome boy, blonde hair, green eyes, and pale skin.

Marinette adjusted herself, sitting more comfortably. Her hands ran around strong arms and she stretched her body, touching the body next to her at just the right places.

She felt like was in another reality, but this was nothing like a vision, this was like being intoxicated in the sweetest elixir.

Marinette felt something pointy running through her legs and reaching to the top of her towel, but she did not mind because it felt amazing.

A second later, he started licking her neck. Marinette’s back arched at the warmness, she squeezed her hands against his shoulders and dig her nails. A little moan came up of her lips.

She heard him call her name, his voice was so pleasing that she couldn’t help it anymore. The heat was running through her body and killing every logical part of her.

Her legs spread open at each side of his leg, feeling the cloth of the torn trouser, searching for friction. Her moves were slow but efficient, the flames expanded through her body, especially in her lower belly. Marinette panted and started moving faster.

The licking went up against her neck, then down and made a curved line on top of her collarbones, not going under the towel that wrapped her body, and then came back one more time to her neck. She felt a spiky object close to her pulse, instead of scaring her, she was overjoyed by it, her mind was reaching another planet. But then she felt the ache, a little scratch and a drop rolling down her neck.

The fantasy broke down as fast as it had started.

Marinette opened her eyes before Chat Noir pushed her away and ran out of the bathroom. She fell to the floor, her knees hitting the tiles, but she did not care.

Marinette inhaled sharply. She hugged herself and slapped both of her cheeks.

_What had just happened?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay listen i had my doubts about writing this chapter this way, but you know what? this is my fic and is marichat we are talking about, i at least have to make the sin ship live to their name right??
> 
> anyways, i really still can't believe i made marinette a furry i'm the worst lol
> 
> thank you all for reading, have a nice day/night!! 
> 
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	8. haunted house

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> haunted house: haunted house or ghosthouse is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property.
> 
> again, i took some liberties :) with :) the :) prompt :)

Marinette couldn’t fall asleep. She was aware of every sound Chat Noir made, too worried that he would decide to leave after what had happened.

She was so stupid!

She could blame it on a vision but she was doubting that it was actually one, she always knew when she was having a vision and she had one only moments before this happened, the chances of having two visions in less than five minutes were extremely low.

If he decided to leave because of her dumb actions she would break down. He was part of her life now, no matter how fast it had happened, she had accepted that whatever her feelings were, they were real and important.

As much as she didn't’ want him to leave, she didn’t want to face him, she was too ashamed. So, dressed with what she liked to call her witch uniform (a short black dress, high knee socks and boots, her scarlet cloak and her pointy hat) and ready to leave the house whenever he fell asleep, she waited. It was not only until four in the morning that she stopped hearing his footsteps and his tail whipping.

She went out of her room, walking on her points and using a silence spell to make sure she wouldn’t wake him up.

He was lying on the sofa close to the window, one arm falling to the floor.

Marinette looked at him for a few seconds. To be asleep, his body was not relaxed, and his breathing rhythm was irregular.

Marinette bit her lip, worried. Was this her doing? Had she made him this uncomfortable?

She walked close, remaining cautious and wiggled her hands on top of her body. When the light surrounded him, his posture and breathing changed, now he could have a good sleep.

Marinette went out of the house, she made sure the CLOSE sign was on the door and before anything else could happen and ruin her plan she ran to the town center.

xx

Marinette’s first stop was the apothecary, she was running low on a few herbs that she will need for potions. And she would need minerals if she wanted to keep the _Igigi_ alive and to her disposal.

The bell rang when she opened the door and entered the warm store. She waved at the owner, Mrs. Hälsa. An old witch, already retired that had moved from the big city to the valley a long time ago. It was the first person Marinette met, actually she came looking for her, because of the things they shared in common.

“Good morning, Mrs. Hälsa,” Marinette smiled and walked to the counter.

“My dear, Marinette! You have left the house!” She clapped.

She opened the door in the counter, and made signs with her hands, inviting Marinette to come in.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Hälsa, I’m here on a quick trip to re-stock,”

“Bah! No sense,” She went out and took Marinette’s hand, pulling her to the back of the counter and then to the little chairs with pillows that were close to the door that separated the tiny shop from her house. “I’ve been talking to Hua Bai this morning, said she saw you a few weeks ago, I told her this couldn’t be true, since you never leave your house when your shop is on high demand, like these months are, but she swears she saw you, that you promised her a drink. Is that true, dear?”

“Oh, yeah I was in the forest like a week ago,” Marinette nodded, trying to brush it off to not make it important.

“Oh, for all the sacred things!” Mrs. Hälsa screamed, she turned around and took Marinette by her shoulders. “I knew we should have told you, is so typical of you to do exactly what we are not expecting you to do,”

“So something was actually happening? And nobody told me?”

“We assumed you would be safe since you were going to be inside your house, but I can see we were wrong,” Mrs. Hälsa patted Marinette’s cheek, “Thanks to Saint Ana you’re in one piece!”

“You knew there was a wendigo rounding the forest and you didn’t tell me?” Marinette hissed, “I’m the witch of this valley, I’m supposed to know these things. You _have t_ o bother me for these things,”

“A wendigo? What do you mean?”

“When I was in the forest, I saw a wendigo, it was chained, a bunch of Kertáh men were pushing him around, looking for someone. Some rich boy,”

“Oh, no! I didn’t know they were so desperate. You’re right, we should have warned you, I deeply apologize, Marinette,”

“I don’t need apologies, I mean I appreciate them, Mrs. Hälsa, but would you explain to me what is going on? I really thought everyone had disappeared that night because some fairy or hound had perceived the wendigo,”

“No, that’s not the case, dear,” Mrs. Hälsa shook her head, a dark expression covered her face, “A message came from the citadel, the Royal Family of Kertáh is looking for someone,”

“A prisoner?” Marinette guessed

“I don’t know, they didn’t say. They only warned us to hide for that night, that they would be around, and they would leave once they checked the perimeter. It happened as they said, so we didn’t tell you anything,”

Marinette wanted to say more, she was extremely angry but the time had passed. She should have come for answers a week ago, but what had she done instead? Stayed at home, working and doing whatever she was doing with Chat Noir.

“Next time, I don’t care if I have the Fae Queen in my dispatch, you ring that bell and inform me. Or anyone else for the matter, it doesn’t have to be you, Mrs. Hälsa, but I have to be informed of these things. Luckily nothing happened, but that is not always the case,”

Mrs. Hälsa sighed and smiled with pride. “You’ve turned into such a bright and powerful witch, Marinette. I’m the happiest, I’m sure your parents are proud too,”

“Thank you, and yes they are, but I’m still mad,” Marinette put and flicked her hair.

Mrs. Hälsa laughed and embraced her in a tight hug.

“What did you need, my dear?” She asked standing up.

“Lavender, witch hazel, cinnamon,  and a few minerals, I caught an _Igigi_ ,”

“They don’t call you the Witch of Luck for nothing, do they?”

“That was lucky even for me,” Marinette giggled, “I’ll introduce you to it, once I tie bonds,”

“I’ll be waiting!” Mrs. Hälsa threw a hand in the air, expressing her excitement.

Marinette laughed.

“Do you need help taking the herbs?” She asked.

“Please dear, you already know where everything is,” Mrs. Hälsa said, but followed her to the shelf anyways.

Marinette took her hat off and left it on the counter. She took one of the ribbons tied on her wrist, and use it to pull her hair up.  

She used the stairs to take the flask of lavender of the highest shelves and then with her magic she called for the little bags of witch hazel in the drawers in front of her.

She took all to the counter and switched to the right, to look into the mineral shelves and find some good stuff for her Igigi. She never had to feed an Igigi, she only had read books about them, so she hoped she made good choices.

She chose a bottle of smashed allophane, a box with beryl rocks, and cubes of what she believed could be arsenopyrite.

“Sweet demons!” Mrs. Hälsa called.

Marinette jolted, almost dropping the flask of mineral she was holding at that moment.

“What? Was wrong?” Marinette turned around, she jumped from the stairs “You think my _Igigi_ won’t like _kröhnkite_?”

“Right now I couldn’t care less about your Igigi, Marinette,” Mrs. Häsle took two big steps towards her and tapped the curve of Marinette’s neck with her ring and middle finger. “Well, well, well, I’m glad to know you don’t only spend your time working,”

Marinette touched her neck, hiding whatever the old witch was pointing out at. She twirled and quickly ran to the glassed cabinets, to see her reflection.

Tiny pink and purplish spots and a thin scratch were painted in her neck.

Marinette felt like fainting. How hadn't she noticed?!

“Have you find yourself a lover,  my dear?” She smiled from ear to ear.

“No,” Marinette answered like it was a reflex. And kept her hand covering the vulnerable spot.

“Your cheeks tell another story,” Mrs. Hälsa giggled. Marinette threw her head back, and whined, “C’mon, Marinette, you’re twenty-one, there’s nothing to be ashamed of,”

“There’s no lover,” Marinette pouted, “Can we stop this so I can take my things back home?”

“You’re adorable, my dear,” She said and made a sign with her head so Marinette would follow to the counter, “It will be thirty _nuris_ and fifty _deins,”_

“Mrs. Hälsa all of this together is at least forty-five _nuris_ ,”

“No, that’s not true,”

“It is. I know how expensive lavender can be at this time of the year,”

“It is you, Marinette, just be grateful I let you pay,”

“That’s not how business work, but thank you,” Marinette said, knowing she wouldn’t win the fight. She took the blue and green coins out of her little bag and passed them to her. “I’ll visit you again if I need anything else, and if you see Mrs. Bai tell her I’ll go visit her as soon as October is over,”

“Perfect, I’ll let her know,” The sweet lady smiled.

Marinette took the paper bag with her purchase and hugged it close to her chest, so it wouldn’t fall.

“It was nice seeing you, Mrs. Hälsa. If anything happens please don’t doubt and call me,” She said it with a tender voice, but her anger and threat could leak through her words.

“Will do, will do,” Mrs. Hälsa shook her head, “And, Marinette,”

Marinette twisted the knob of the door and looked from over her shoulder back to the witch.

“Have fun with your lover,”  
“He is not my lover,” Marinette hissed and stepped out of the shop.

**xx**

Marinette stayed out the whole day.

She visited every store, restaurant, and library in the _Voie D’Or,_ and then she went further and visited the different houses of creatures around the valley.

Everyone was so happy to see her and invited her for a little chat, some drinks or food, so it was easy to waste the whole day just visiting the people in town.

But when the clock chimed ten times, and the sky turned completely blue, Marinette knew that time to come back had arrived.

She made her way back home with multiple bags and gifts floating around her, she didn’t have enough hands or strength to bring back all the things the citizens had given her.

She opened the door and stepped into the hall, looking at her living room, directing her vision to the couch were Chat Noir had been in the morning and that it was empty now.

She furrowed her eyebrows and ran to her office.

The cauldron was still working on a potion and the flasks she had left shaking were still floating around, but there was no sign of Chat Noir. She left the paper bag with the apothecary purchases and closed the door, making her way to her bedroom, the only other place he could be, he didn’t go to the kitchen anymore and the water of the bathroom was not running so he wasn’t taking a bath either.

She opened the door of her bedroom, she found her morning mess, but not him.

All the gifts, that she didn’t notice were still floating around her, dropped to the floor.

Marinette’s heart sank and the tears started to fall.

He was gone and it was all her fault.

**xx**

Marinette didn’t know how she managed to take a bath, put on her sleeping camisole and lie in bed after all the energy she lost crying.

Her bed felt so cold without him on it, and the house was too silent. Who knew how much a week could change everything?

She had always been happy alone, she liked it like that. She would receive customers and Alya would visit every once in a while, sometimes her parents would come and would stay with her, but most of the time she would be alone. When she was feeling lonely, she would call Tikki, but right now she wouldn’t be strong enough or precise with her words to make her come to this dimension.

She felt hollow, she didn’t want to move, she only wished that her body would demand her to sleep, after all, she hadn’t been able to do so in more than twenty hours.

Marinette closed her eyes and pressed her head against the pillow. She hugged the covers and got ready to sleep.

Maybe everything would be alright in the morning.

Marinette sobbed. The sole thought that he could not be there when she woke up made her inevitably tear up again. Her body trembled, making it impossible to fall asleep.

She rolled on the bed and look at the roof. She would always look at the shapes in the wood when she couldn’t fall asleep. She started imagining objects that looked like the swirls in the boards when a thunderous sound interrupted her.

Instantly, Marinette sat down in the bad and paid attention to the sounds.

It felt like the windows were shaking and that the lamp had fallen to the ground.

“Ghosts?” She said out of breath.

When was the last time she had unwanted visitors haunting her house? Maybe a year or two, it was weird for ghosts to come to her cottage, ghosts knew of her and what she did, they trusted and respected her, they wouldn’t come to haunt her house. Except if it was a new ghost.

Marinette stood up and took a rose quartz she kept on her nightstand. She pressed it on her palm and went to investigate.

She gave slow but careful steps. Ghosts were usually harmless, but an awry one could have an altered behaviour, and brand new ghosts tended to be, those were the kind that haunted houses, their sorrow was so big that they couldn’t handle it and they tried to reconnect with the living in non-functional ways.

All the lights on the living room were out, so it would be easier to recognize any spectral energy flying around.

Marinette kept her hand up, ready to throw the quartz if necessary.

She stopped in a corner and stayed still, her eyes studied the room looking for the intruder. Her eyes captured movement in the left wall. She stretched her arm back and then back to the front, throwing the rose quartz in that direction.

The rock hit someone and they let out a scream of complaint. In the middle of the wall, a pair of glowing green eyes appeared.

“Chat Noir?” Marinette asked. She snapped her fingers and all the candles and oil lamps started illuminating the room, making Chat completely visible.

His body was stuck in the window.

“What are you doing there?” Marinette asked, running to help the big cat out.

“I can’t enter through the front door, people could see me,”

“What were you even doing out of the house?!” Marinette shouted. She clapped three times making the window grow and Chat Noir falling to the wooden boards in the floor.

“I had to hunt,” He explained. He rubbed the back of his head and stood up. He took one step away from her and leaned against the wall, trying to play it cool.

“Someone could have seen you!” Marinette shout, “You should have waited for me,”

“That’s why I used the window! And I didn’t even know if you were coming back! I thought I had ruined our relationship!”

Marinette opened her mouth in the perfect shape of an O. He thought it was _his_ fault?

“What are you talking about?” Marinette furrowed her brows. “If someone ruined our relationship, it was obviously me!”

“No,” He shook his head, “Marinette, it was my fault,”

“No! How could you ruin it? I was the crazy one who crossed the line,” Marinette pressed her hands on her cheeks, she didn’t want to talk about this, she was still mortified about it, but she had to if she wanted for things to be alright.

“You’re not the one to blame, Marinette,” He said, he leaned towards her, “I did _something,_ it was an accident but I still did it. When I… when I’m in my real form I have some abilities, this was one of them,”

“What do you mean?” Marinette rose a brow, her nose wrinkled.

“I wanted… I wanted _you_ ,” He gulped, “I entered there to comfort you but my stupid head was having all these thoughts and next thing I know, what I’ve been wanting to happen what’s happening,”

Marinette gasped. It was _his_ doing?

Marinette touched her chin and her eyes opened widely.

Could Chat be a Fae? He said he was handsome, he came from far away lands and had run away, he knew Fae families were not exactly functional, and now this! Faes had the abilities to enhance any other emotion, and they were expert seducers.

But, this was not all his doing then, he couldn’t have done it if she wasn’t open to it.

“I’m sorry, I overstepped, especially when you needed me,” He looked down, obviously ashamed.

“It was odd, I have to admit that,” Marinette whispered. She put her hands against his chest and looked up, searching for his sight. “But… but I… I…”

Why was it so hard to say it? Yes, this went against all her beliefs and the goals she had set for herself, but she had to admit it out loud, if not, only more problems would come.

“You know... “ She cleaned her throat before continuing, “I want… I wanted it too…”

It was her time to look down and feel ashamed.

Her heart was beating so fast, she thought it could come out of her chest and start flying. She had never felt like this before, she felt ridiculous.

“How?” He wondered, with real interest. “How can you, when I look like this?”

“Your soul and your heart, and all that it is you…. you’re the most unique and lovely person I’ve ever met,”

Just as she expected, he took her on his arms and made her spin, then he made them land on the couch. Marinette sitting on top of him.

“We’ll find a way to bring you to your real form, kitty,” She said, “And things will be easier for both of us,”

“I’m afraid you won’t like me very much then, my lady,” He said, his eyes and his voice expressed sadness.

“Impossible,” She rubbed the back of his ears.

“You’re the most wonderful woman in the world, I don’t deserve you,” He said against her neck. She was about to say something back, tell him he was worth it, but his nose moved one of the straps of the camisole fall from her shoulder, and he started licking her neck just like last night, and her thoughts changed, remembering how embarrassed she had been when Mrs. Hälsa had seen her neck that morning, she was going to ask him to stop, but then his teeth ran along her collarbones and she was lost.

Yeah, Marinette had not been wrong last night, it was like getting drunk in the sweetest elixir.

She wasn’t sure how long it had passed, only that she felt lightheaded and heavy at the same time, chained to her feelings, but free because of them. Whatever this was, it couldn’t be bad if she felt this good.

Marinette could have only been able to hear his and her voice echoing the room, making different aroused sounds, so when an unusual sound and tone of voice bounced into the room, Marinette tensed.

She looked to her left, where the sound had come and a blood-chilling feeling sank on her stomach.

Alya floated in the middle of the room. A smug smile was decorating her face.

“Oh, don’t mind me, M, keep doing your thing,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alya alya alya, i've been wanting to include her for so long yay!
> 
> just in case, i wanted to say that i have no idea how an igigi is supposed to look like or what it eats, so all of that it's part of my imagination lol, don't take my words as facts  
> 
> thank you for the comments and all the love!  
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	9. pumpkin carving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> pumpkin carving: activity in which you create a jack-o-lantern  
> jack-o-lantern: a lantern made from a hollowed pumpkin with a carved face, usually displayed on halloween.

Alya giggled and rolled in the air. “Oh, Marinette, I’ve never seen you so flustered,”

Well, Marinette had never felt so embarrassed before. She avoided Alya’s gaze and started fixing her camisole, as Chat Noir helped her with the straps.

Of course, Alya had to appear out of thin air, so typical of her!

“Why do you never knock?” Marinette growled at her best friend.

“Ah, c’mon, M, don’t be mad at me! You were so happy five seconds ago,” That only made Marinette’s cheeks burn more.

“It’s so good to see you’re having fun while I’m gone. I was worried that you would overwork yourself,” Alya flapped the furry and pointy ears she had on top of her head, and gifted Marinette an amused smile.

Alya gracefully dropped to the floor. Her long and voluminous white dress waved around, accentuating her majestic aura, it was new Marinette could tell, it had the same heart cleavage she always wore, but this one had long sleeves, and Alya usually wore short ones.

She wondered what was going on in the spiritual world for Alya to use a dress that she could use in a ceremony.

“Where were you?” Marinette asked. She stood up, fixing the hem of her camisole.

She walked close to her friend, letting go of Chat’s hand.

“What’s going on with you? You’re being super rude,” Alya frowned, she placed her hand on top of her chest and put on a dramatic expression, “I can’t believe you’re not introducing me to your boyfriend,”

“He is not my--” Alya didn’t let her continue. She passed by her side and stood in front of Chat Noir who was still petrified in the couch.

“My name is Alya, I’m Marinette’s best friend,” She introduced herself, “I’m so happy to meet you and thank you for breaking Marinette’s dry-spell,”

“Alya!” Marinette screamed mortified.

“Ah…” Chat Noir stuttered before answering, “I’m Chat Noir, pleased to meet you”

“For all the Gods, he is as shy as you,” Alya mumbled, looking at Marinette. “Now, I don’t want to bother you more than I have, but do you have some tea?”

“Can you answer to my question first?”

“Yes, I can, I’m sorry,” Alya sat on the fluffy chair next to the coffee table. “I’ve been using Spirit World’s astronomy tower,”

“Why?” Marinette inquired “You rarely spy the mortal world,”

“It was necessary, M,” Alya looked straight into her eyes, transmitting a secret with just one glance.

A knot tied in Marinette’s throat.

“I heard a little. Mrs. Hälsa didn’t seem to think it had anything to do with me,”

“Did she said that?”

“No, but she didn’t warn me so I don’t think she thought I could be in danger, “

“In danger of what?” Chat Noir interrupted. Marinette jolted back, crashing against his chest.

Marinette lifted her head and looked at him, he was looking down at her.

“It’s not important,” She brushed it off.

“It is, it’s your safety,” He said back.

“I am safe,” Marinette said between clenched teeth. Then she looked back at Alya, “So, what did you see?”

“Not much really,” Alya wrinkled her nose, _“Kertáh_ is kind of losing it, tho, the King has been more sanguinary than ever,”

“What has he done?” Marinette asked, and heard an echo asking the same.

Chat Noir’s body was tense, a muscle was popping on his jaw and his eyes were narrowed, giving a threatening glare.

“He let loose a wendigo for starters, there’s a curfew in the capital, the castle is full of new recruits, mostly knights, the _"donors"_ have multiplied, uh, what else? oh yeah, he hired five new witches and an oracle,”

Marinette remained silent, her brain started working at light speed.

The King of Kertáh was a dangerous man, Marinette knew it well. His motives could be run by impulsivity,  but impulse didn’t run his strategies, he had something in mind.

A shiver ran through Marinette’s spine, reaching her nape. She felt cold all of a sudden.

“My lady?” Chat passed one arm around her waist and pressed her to his body. He lifted her chin and leaned close to her, nuzzling her nose with hers, “What’s wrong?

“Just thinking,” Marinette lied.

“Marinette is not fond of the vampire king,” Alya answered. Marinette sent her a warning look. She didn’t want Chat Noir to know anything about this, he would overreact and she did not need to be more protected than she already was.

“I don’t think anyone is,” Chat Noir said under his breath.

Marinette smiled at that.

“Okay, change of subject!” Alya said, “Because I’m too curious not to ask,”

“Of course you are,” Marinette said.

Chat Noir put his hands on top of her shoulders and massaged them, she flinched when he pressed and then relaxed when he released.

“Oh, that was nice,” Marinette said, twisting her neck as he continued.

She took his hand and pulled him to the couch they were lying before Alya arrived. He waited for him to sit, and then she sat on his lap.

His hands kept working on her back.

“So, what change of subject, Lya?” Marinette encouraged her to continue. She really wanted to erase that smug smile out of her face. She still couldn’t believe she had found her in such a compromising situation. She would never let her forget.

“I ask this without intention to offend you, alright? I mean everyone has their kinks, right? I just never imagined yours were fluffy men,”

“Can you just ask without teasing?” Marinette whined.

“It’s impossible, I’m a fox, Marinette,” Alya gifted her a toothy grin, showing her pearl white fangs and moving her tail from side to side.

“How am I even friends with you?”

Alya opened her mouth, then closed it and chuckled. “You’re lucky I love you because I had a really good joke, but since you look annoyed, I won’t say anything,” Alya clicked her tongue “My question was about his situation,”

“Being a cat?” Chat Noir asked.

“Yes,” Alya nodded, “Why don't you just ask Marinette to exorcize you? She knows her way with demons, if you haven’t noticed, she is a witch,”

Chat Noir gulped. Marinette looked at him and gasped insulted.

“You are possessed?” Marinette spat. She turned around, putting one leg at each side of him, so she would be able to face him and stand higher than him. “Why wouldn’t you say so?”

“Because you’re a witch!”

“That doesn’t make _any_ sense,” Alya said, marking every word. “If you excuse me, I can see I messed up, so I will go to the kitchen to make my t--

“Just go, Alya!” Marinette shouted.

“Alright, alright,”

Marinette was angry. How could he not tell her something so important? How hadn’t she noticed that this was a demon’s doing? Why was Tikki so bad at reading energies?!

“Don’t be mad, princess,” He begged.

“Oh, that one is new,” Marinette said about the nickname, “But your sweet words won’t work, chaton. Tell me _e-very-thing_. Now.”

“I want you to understand that it was a naïve mistake, please,”

“Talk,” Marinette demanded, “Don’t leave any detail behind,”

“I had run away from home three or four days ago and I was lost, I also knew my father was looking for me so I was doing my best to not be found,” Chat Noir started, “The furthest I’ve been from home in my whole life was the close neighborhood, I wasn’t allowed to go further, so I have no idea how the real world works, the only thing I have is the memory of the thousands of books I used to read. So, I had no idea where I was going and in an attempt to stay as hidden as I could I entered a swamp and I stumbled with a tiny creature,”

“Tiny like Tikki?” Marinette tilted her head.

“A bit bigger than Tikki, with a black body and big green eyes, he said his name was Plagg,” Chat Noir clicked his tongue, “He was extremely annoying but charismatic at the same time, he started telling me stories and since I was alone I let him stay. He offered me a deal, he said he could be my familiar. I’m and I was well aware that demons only become familiars with witches, and I told him that but he laughed and brushed it off and said that was not true, that it was an urban myth and that witches liked it that way so they would not belie it,”

“That’s not true,” Marinette gasped, outraged.

“ _Now_ I know,” Chat Noir said, “But he was convincing and… I thought it would be nice to have someone to back you up unconditionally, I mean, I have good friends but we live under certain rules, Plagg was not going to be under those and because of that, I accepted,”

“You did a ritual?”

“Not really. I looked for a vast space and I drew a pentagram on the ground but then Plagg did everything else and- oh, please don’t put that face, it makes me feel ridiculous,”

Marinette closed her mouth and stopped pulling her hair. “I’m sorry I can’t help it, it’s atrocious,”

“See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you. I disrespected you, I-

“Stop, stop,” Marinette put one finger up, “Demons are tricksters, kitty, I’m not mad at you, I’m a little surprised of how naïve you can be, but I’m not mad,”

“Really?”  
“Really and you should have told me this sooner,” Marinette said, “This is obviously a possession gone wrong, how dumb of me of not realizing,”

“I hadn’t said anything, it could be a curse,”

“Yeah, but still, I’m a high-rank witch, these kinds of things shouldn’t slip off my compass,” Marinette kissed the tip of his nose. “We will fix this, minou,”

**xx**

 

“You haven’t performed an exorcism in years, M,” Alya said. She was floating, her body was extended, her head was against her head and she was posing like she was sitting on a divan.

“I can do it, if the demon messed up something so simple as a possession, it means it’s a low-rank demon, I can handle it,” Marinette was sitting on Chat Noir’s shoulder, he was holding her as she looked in her flasks, in the highest shelves, the substances, herbs, and minerals she needed to perform the exorcism.

“Is not bad to ask for help,” Alya sing-song.

“I don’t need help,”

“She is right, my lady, you can ask for help, don’t push yourself too hard,”  
“I can do this. It’s a minor demon, if we were talking about a high rank I would ask for help. You both shut up and don’t doubt my abilities,”

“I would never,” Alya said, “But I worry, you’re self-demanding, M”

“I don’t work in the city, I need to be if I want clientele,”

Marinette urged through her stuff, she pulled a few bottles of old potions, flasks with herbs that she would have to throw away, boxes of rocks and minerals she had no idea she had purchased, but she did not find the last ingredient she needed.

“I’m out of potassium,” Marinette groaned

“You use potassium for exorcisms?” Chat Noir asked startled.

“Yes, it’s not an essential thing, but it regulates other elements. I need potassium for other herbs to work with my magic,”

“Let’s go find some,” Alya said,

“Mrs. Hälsa must have closed by now,” Marinette sighed, “I guess will have to wait until tomorrow night,” Marinette patted Chat’s free shoulder, asking to be put down.

Once down, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and pouted.

“Don’t be mad,” Chat Noir said. His nose ran from her shoulder to the crook of her neck.  

“I really wanted to do this as soon as possible,” Marinette frowned and kissed the top of Chat’s head. “I want to help you,”

“And you will,” He assured her, “It doesn’t have to be today. I can wait, and meanwhile, we can rest, I know you need some hours of sleep, princess. We’ll go to bed, we’ll light up that lantern you like so much, I’ll tell you stories. How does that sound?”

“Actually it sounds really nice” She let a little smile draw on her lips.

“Oh! I got a great idea,” Alya twirled in the air, unable to collect her excitement, “Humans celebrate Halloween this month,”

“I’m well aware,” Marinette nodded, a shadow of annoyance in her tone.

“And what do they do?”

“Ask for candy, dress up as cheap mockups of us, play horrible pranks on us? I can keep going, I got a list,”

“Yeah, yeah, but not that,” Alya waved her hand, “They do something really fun, I’ve always wanted to do it, and now that I have the idea I think I’ll do it,”

“Alya, just tell me!”

“Pumpkin carving! They make those adorable lanterns with pumpkins!” Alya shouted. Marinette rose her brows at her, “Pumpkins have potassium, Marinette, you should know that,”

“You want us to go buy a pumpkin to the humans?” Marinette asked, wary to not sound too mean towards her, “That’s not enough potassium for an exorcism,”

“Has all that sex killed your brain cells?”  
“ ** _Alya_**!”

“It was a joke!” Alya put her hands up, asking for mercy, “Humans have pumpkin farms! There are enough of them around in one hectare. One snap of your fingers and you drained them of all the potassium you need, and we can make the exorcism right there,”

“ _Aaaah_ ,” Marinette said, finally understanding, “But humans will see us,”

“No, if I play around with the mood in the air. A few spirits will frighten them so much that they will stay away. Also, it’s almost midnight, most of them will be asleep,”  
Marinette looked at Chat, at the ingredients on the table and then at Alya.

“Say it is a good idea, say that you missed me and my great ideas,” Alya fluttered her lashes.

“I missed you and your great ideas,” Marinette said, she pursed her lips, trying to contain her smile.

“I love you too, M!” Alya euphorically went to hug her best friend, “We are going to have so much fun tonight!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know a lot of things about potassium now lol  
> some things are revealed yay!  
> alya killed the mood, but i love her still 
> 
> thank you for reading!!
> 
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	10. werecat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> werecat: 
> 
>  
> 
> the whole fic has had a werecat, and there's one on this chapter, so technically i am following the prompt lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize in advance. i had no time in the whole day to write, so i wrote it now and it's late and i'm super sleepy, so if there're any mistakes im sorry, i'll try to fix them tomorrow xx

Marinette put all the things she needed for the exorcism in a cloth bag that she closed with a silver pin that she would also use.

She took one little bottle from the dusty wooden coffer she had on top of the side desk and gave it to Chat Noir.

“Drink it now, I’ll numb you down,”  
“Do I need to be unconscious?”

“You’re not going to be unconscious, the potion will just make your pain umbral higher, as a consequence, all your sensations threshold will be harder to reach so you won’t feel a thing,”

“Isn’t it better if I feel things? You know so I can guide you through the process?”

“Have you ever seen an exorcism, kitty?”

“No,”  
“So obviously you haven’t performed one either, but I have and they’re painful, mostly for the person who is being exorcized, so be a good boy, drink your potion and thank me later,”

“Yes, my lady,”

Marinette passed him by without looking at him. Her only focus was to have everything right for the ritual. Exorcisms could be dangerous if not performed right, and she was not going to put Chat Noir at risk.

She checked her bag three times, she drank a similar elixir to the one she gave to Chat Noir and tried on her magic on a wall, to assure nothing would go wrong.

When she did not have anything else to go over she went to change her clothes.

Her rituals and spells did not need special clothes, they just needed to be comfy for her to be able to move her arms right, but Marinette had stumbled with a demon or two, and they would always behave better if they saw them dressed to the occasion. Demons had a big ego, and they liked to feel important.

Marinette looked through all her clothes, these were the times when having all that many clothes paid off. As a witch, she had to maintain a certain image so her human clientele would be interested, and they had a very specific stereotype they followed when it came to witches. That’s why most of her working clothes were black dresses, and if she was a practical person she would only have those kinds of clothes on her wardrobe and she would be happy, but Marinette loved fashion. She had so many clothes she had never worn but she refused to throw away because maybe someday she would be able to use them.

That’s why all her sleeping clothes were more fashionable and delicate that they needed to be because it was the time where she could wear whatever she liked without minding about her business.

Most of her favorite clothes, she hated to say, came from Kertáh. Juleka, her friend from school, lived close by and would send her the latest trends. Not long ago, she had sent her an off the shoulder white dress that would work perfectly for tonight.

Marinette put her hair on in a ponytail, tying a big midnight blue ribbon on top, to match with the flats of the same color.

She looked herself in the mirror once before leaving the room.

“Alright, you two better be ready because I am and we have to get this over fast,”

“Marinette you look so pretty!” Alya said,

“You dressed up for an exorcism?” Chat Noir said.

Marinette was surprised by who said each phrase. Then she remembered Alya was a deity, she loved to get dressed up and people dressing for her for important rituals. Chat Noir on the other side, seemed quite nervous.  
Marinette let out a long sigh, feeling guilty.

She had been so nervous herself that she forgot all about Chat Noir. This was something new to him and he was the one who was going to be exorcized, he had all the rights to be scared, nervous or any other emotion he felt like feeling.

“Hey, Alya, how long does it take you to build that portal?” Marinette asked.

“Two minutes?” Alya touched her chin and looked up, “Yeah probably two minutes because your boyfriend is so big,”

“Cool,” Marinette brushed off the joke, “Can you go to the backyard and start? I need to talk with Chat,”  
“Sure thing, M,”

Alya dissipated and Marinette and Chat Noir were left alone in the living room.

“Are you okay?” Marinette asked.

“Me? Pfft, perfect,”

“You’re a horrible liar, minou,”

“Not true, if you only knew,” He snorted.

“I’m sorry if I was mean to you earlier, I just want everything to go according to plan and I can get bossy,”

“I like how bossy you are,” Chat Noir smirked at her, not a pinch of a lie in his expression. Marinette felt all fuzzy inside.

“Anyways, that’s not the point,” Marinette rubbed her temples, “What’s wrong? Are you scared it could go wrong?”  
“No, I trust you,” He stood up from the couch and crossed his arms in front of his chest, “I’ve seen you work for a week, Marinette. You’re one of a kind, the most powerful witch I’ve ever seen or heard about, I have no doubt you can do this,”

“Exorcisms are not my specialty, I’m sure Alya filled you up on that,”  
“She did because she is worried, but I trust you, if you say you can do it, then you can do it,” His sight softened, “That’s not what it’s going through my mind,”

“Then what is it?” Marinette walked towards him, usually, it was him who was closing the distance between them, so the fact that he was standing on the same place he had for longer than a minute, instead of touching or hugging her, let her know something was really tormenting him.

“I just.. didn’t think it would be so fast to revert,” He sighed, “I’ve lied to you, my lady. Part of why I didn’t tell you, besides being ashamed of trying to make a pact with a demon, is because I knew you were going to fix it quickly. I miss my real body, but you won’t like me much once you see me,”

“But you said you were so handsome,” Marinette joked, but realize it was no time for that, “Why do you believe I will not like you?”

“Because most people don’t”

“I’m not most people,” Marinette pressed a finger against his chest, where his heart should be, “I’m gonna like you just as much, kitty,”

Chat said something in such a low tone, that she was unable to hear. When she asked him to repeat it he just put on a fake smile. “C’mon, Alya must have her portal ready. I’ve never been on a magic portal before, so I’m excited,”

Marinette pouted, he hated that expression on him and the fake excitement but she answered anyway. “You won’t be too excited once you get all nauseous,”

xx

Marinette hated to use Alya’s portals. Yes, they were the fastest way to travel from one close point to another, but she would walk for hours if that meant avoiding the horrible dizziness they gave her.

Tonight there was no time for that. The faster they arrived at the pumpkin farm, the faster she could perform the exorcism and then Chat Noir would be free of the demon that had tried to possess him, and she would be able to kiss him for real, without him worrying about the fangs. Not like the last reason was one of her biggest motivations, no, not all, it was just something to add to the list  

The trip from her backyard to the pumpkin farm took around six seconds and Marinette felt every second like an hour.

“We’re here!” Alya announced, as if wasn’t obvious. The whole place was filled with pumpkins of all different sizes, there was a hut a few meters from where they had landed that had one light up, but once they gave a few steps it turned off. Alya’s doing probably.

“That was fun!” Chat Noir said and high fived with Alya, only later realizing Marinette was trying to keep her balance. “Oh, princess, are you okay?”

“She hates portals,” Alya explained. “She’ll be fine in a few seconds,”

Marinette had her arms extended and her hands up, her legs were separated from each other, afraid of falling.

Chat Noir put his hands on her hips, helping her stay straight.

“Anything you need, Mari?” He asked.

“A hug,” She said and Chat Noir indulged her.

“Wow, I really can’t feel a thing,” He said amazed.

“Glad to hear, it means we can begin,”

“Your knees are trembling, princess,” He chuckled. “The most powerful witch can’t travel in portals, I’m shocked,”

“Don’t tease a witch when she is about to put a spell on you,”

“You already put a spell on me, my lady,” He said.

Marinette looked at him confused. What was he talking about? The illusion necklace? That was more of a charm, not a spell.

“The spell that caught my heart,” He explained, reading her expression.

“Aw, you’re ridiculous,” Marinette melted in his arms. “Now let’s go and do this. Alya might be keeping humans away, but never overlook a human’s curiosity, they have no fear,”  
Chat Noir laughed and nodded at her, running to where Alya stood. She was already drawing the pentagram they were going to need on the ground.

Marinette followed. She sat on one of the sides of the pentagram and started unpacking her bag. She wiggled her fingers on top of the metal box of herbs and distributed them around the pentagram.

She made the milled mint roll around the circle, drawing the pentagram all over again. She ordered the anize to make the shape of the start in the middle and then she sent the hydrangea petals to fall around with no definitive place.

She opened the bag of minerals next, she made rain the chloride and the drops of copper. She looked around and from afar inspected the pumpkins. They were big enough to get a good amount of potassium.

Marinette kept an eye on a bunch of big pumpkins to her left. She extended her arms in front of her and then aligned them with her shoulders. She pointed her index, middle and ring finger and twisted her wrist down. The sound of pumpkins smashing and slowly pulverizing echoed in the night.

Marinette opened her hand and the sound stopped. She closed in fits and made a throwing motion towards the pentagram. All the grind pumpkin fell on top. That would give them enough potassium to continue.

“We’re ready to begin,” Marinette announced.

“I always thought you needed holy water to do this,” Chat Noir commented.

“The few humans who can exorcize need holy water, but holy water is only witches’ tears. They sell them to humans for irrational prices,”

“I learn something new with you every hour, isn’t that amazing?” Chat Noir said a toothy grin illuminated his face.

Marinette’s heart did an acrobatic. He was the most charming man in the whole world.

“Listen, you two all super cute sharing those romantic looks, but we have an exorcism to perform here,” Alya clapped, calling for their attention.

“She is right,” Marinette said, sending a flying kiss to him before continuing, “Let’s do this,”

xx

Chat Noir was in the middle of the pentagram, standing tall and looking confident, but Marinette knew he was screaming inside. That’s why she took no time getting ready, she would do this fast and finish in a matter of minutes and they would go back to her cottage and cuddle in bed like no dark ritual had happened that night.

“Are you ready?” Marinette asked.

“Yes, Marinette,”  
“Okay, then I’ll begin,” She warned, “Alya keep an eye on the perimeter, no one can interrupt this, okay?”

“You got it, girl,” She winked and jumped to the sky, floating just above her head.

Marinette pressed her hands together and put them in front of her lips and started whispering.

Most of it was words in an old dead language that Marinette had learned in school for the sole purpose of performing an exorcism. It was the language of the demons, the one everyone on the dimension spoke before they freed themselves of the diabolic creatures. It was an irony that nowadays these powerful creatures succumbed to their orders.

Marinette felt the rush of energy and magic appearing, and even with her eyes closed, she could tell the lines of the pentagram were illuminating.

It had been so long since she had used her magic at this level. The truth was that Marinette’s magic to make potions and charms was only five percent of her capacity, and she didn’t complain about it because it was still a waste of energy but it didn’t feel as good as using the amount of magic she was using now. If things were different maybe she would be able to use this levels of magic on monthly or even weekly basis, but that was not her reality. She was still in danger, maybe she would never stop being in danger.

Marinette shook her head, pushing those thoughts away, right now all her focus should be on Chat Noir.

She smelled the fire and felt the heat. She wondered if Chat was scared or if he was enjoying the blue and green colours the fire must have been taking.

Next was the wind, swirling around her and lifting her from the ground. She couldn’t help but smile, her favorite part was about to come.

It was so easy to get high on magic. Marinette would make sure to memorize this situation with maximum detail, she wouldn’t be able to do this in a while so that only would leave her with the memories of it.

When the electricity of her own magic hit her body, Marinette opened her eyes.

She opened her hands creating a triangle with them. She placed it on top her chest, aligning it with her heart.

“My name is Marinette, Witch of Creation,” A knot formed on her throat when those words came out of her mouth, but she kept her composure “I talk to you, demon, and order you to follow my directions,”

Marinette lowered her gaze to Chat Noir. The fire was embracing him and the bolts of lightning were falling around him.

His eyes were wide open and he was growling, but besides the obvious fear, he was fine. So Marinette continued.

“I order you to go back of where you came from. I order you to leave this body that it’s not yours to possess. I order you to leave and let this soul be at peace,” She inhaled sharply and screamed, “ **_Release!_ ** ”

The fire went wild, the wind swirled like it was a hurricane and the electricity formed a dome around them, as big as the circumference of the pentagram.

Chat Noir’s body glowed and then a dark smoke surrounded him.

He screamed, but it was not his voice and as he did, a dark matter came out of his mouth. The demon was being pushed by Marinette’s magic to break the bond, and screaming because he resisted.

Marinette saw how the creature expanded, green eyes glowed inside the amorphous body.  

The dark creature’s spirit twirled around, looking like a thick substance in the shape of a mourning bogey, sticking to Chat Noir’s body but also flying away.

Chat was on his knees, his hands were digging in the ground and he was breathing heavily. He looked up and Marinette saw his lost eyes. His green eyes were glowing in a different way that they always did because those weren’t cat eyes, those were human eyes.

Marinette felt her power electrify her but she couldn’t take her eyes out of him. He really _was_ handsome, he didn't lie or exaggerate, he was _gorgeous._

His features were strong and masculine but there was a softness in them, that after spending the week with him she knew only he could have. His hair was a blonde mess, his bangs picked his eyes and it wasn’t long, but she was sure that with how much hair he had she could tie it on a bun or a little ponytail. His body shape matched the body she already was familiar with, he looked as tall and strong as he did as a werecat, he was lean but his muscles were defined and he had a tattoo on his collarbone.

“Marinette!” Alya called for her, breaking her lovestruck state. “It’s not working!”

Not working? Impossible.

Marinette looked at the demon, going back to Chat’s body, slowly twisting around his neck and making his body convulse as he acquired the at shape once again.

Marinette teeth chirped. This was not happening.

She pressed her hands together and formed the triangle once again, channeling her magic back to the demon, but nothing changed, every part of the dark matter was coming back to Chat Noir’s body.

“I ORDER YOU TO STOP!” Marinette shouted, but it was useless.

Something cracked in the air and the electricity around her stop. She felt the magic disappearing, the fire started to extinguish and she started falling back to the ground.

“Marinette!” Alya shouted. She teletransported from her spot in the sky to the trajectory of her fall, catching her in her arms.

All the lines of the pentagram vanished and Chat Noir was left alone in the middle of an empty space.

Alya took Marinette to his side, sitting her only a few centimeters away of his moveless body.

“I don’t think that was a minor demon, M,” Alya said, passing her hands under her shoulders and pulling her up so she could stand.

“It was not,” Marinette cleaned the line of blood running from her mouth. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” She sobbed.

Marinette crawled and threw herself on top of Chat’s body.

“Chat are you okay?” She patted his head, “Kitty please talk to me if you hear me,” He couldn't be unconscious. Exorcisms were tiring and hurtful, but they wouldn’t make you faint, magic was protecting you from that.

“You’re still here, princess?” He asked, his voice cracked a little at the end.

“Of course, you silly cat,” Marinette ducked her head and left a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

He touched her and opened his eyes. “Oh, I really can’t feel anything”

“Means the potion worked,” Marinette said, “Sadly, the exorcism didn’t, minou. I’m sorry,”

“Ah,” He said as he had just understood something, only that Marinette couldn’t tell what.

“I was dumb and too ambitious, it's my fault, please forgive me,”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” He said with an honest smile on his face.

“I’ll fix it, I promise, I’ll bring you real form back,” Marinette promised.

She cupped his cheek and pressed her forehead against his.

“I’m so dumb,”

“Don’t say that,” Chat Noir scolded her.

“But I am, everything that could go wrong went wrong!” Marinette exclaimed. She put her hands up in a dramatic manner, “I’m a disaster!”

“Oh, c’mon Marinette you’re not!” Alya said.

“Yes, you’re not,” Chat Noir nodded, “This is not so bad, let’s look at the bright side,” He said, but he didn’t come with anything else to complete that phrase.

Lucky for him, Alya was there.

“Yes, let’s look at the bright side, M!” Alya said, floating on top of them, “You got yourself a hot boyfriend!”

Marinette was not waiting for that comment, and maybe it was because of that or because she was actually right, that she let out a big laugh.

“She is right,” Marinette shrugged, “I guess you weren’t lying, minou, you’re extremely handsome,”


	11. tombstone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tombstone: a large, flat inscribed stone standing or laid over a grave.
> 
> we're moving forward!!!

****

Marinette and Alya were eating cookies at Marinette’s kitchen. They had only come back five minutes ago.

Marinette had put Chat Noir to sleep, after that failure of the exorcism he needed to rest. She needed some rest too, but her mind was working at full speed trying to find a reason why the exorcism had failed. She admitted that exorcisms were not her forté but it should have worked if she got that far to see Chat’s real form it should have ended in a good note.

Marinette puffed and blew, her frustration wouldn’t let her make a logical analysis. She had been so confident and it hadn’t work. It was rare for her to not be good at something, and that had always been the case with exorcism, but she had always been able to perform them.

“Marinette, it was a bigger demon, this is not on you,”

“I underestimated the situation, I should have not done that. I put him in danger,”  
“You wanted to help him,” Alya said, “You also did your very best, and we can still do this, you just need a little help,”  
“I won’t call anyone from the city, I don’t trust those witches,” Marinette leaned against the wall closed her eyes and let out the loudest sigh.

“Mari please, don’t be so hard on you,” Alya stood by her side and brushed away a few pieces of hair that were falling on top of her eyes, “I know you want to fix him as soon as possible, but you don’t have to think fast, you have to think smart, like you usually do,”

“I was thinking smart,” Marinette said giving her a side look.

“No, you were not. Your feelings clouded your judgment, and that’s okay, it happens to the best of us,”

“It never happens to me,” Marinette looked down, “I should have listened to you, asked for help. I know I should have done it, I’m so dumb,”

“No, you’re not. You’re in love,” Alya wrapped her arms around her shoulders and hugged her tight. “And that’s okay”

“It’s not okay if it makes me dumb,” Alya laughed at that, “I’m being serious, Lya,”  
“I know, I know,” She pressed her forehead against Marinette’s temples, “But love makes you a little dumb, it’s part of the deal, but don’t worry I’ll be here to help you out,”  
Marinette groaned.

“Don’t groan at me when I’m about to give you a solution,”

“What solution?” Marinette perked up.

“Let’s take him to Luka,” Alya looked at her impatient, mouth open, showing her fangs and eyes wide open.

Marinette’s mouth fell open. “You, miss foxy, are brilliant,” Marinette clashed her hands against her shoulders “How didn’t I think of that before?!”

“Because it means to leave the valley,” Alya said with a little sad smile.

Marinette fell on the realization of how true that was. She hadn’t considered any plan that meant going outside the valley. The pumpkin farm didn’t count because it was still in the perimeter, but leaving the valley and her town was not part of her outlines.

When Alya told Chat that he could ask for Marinette’s help, she was sure Alya hadn’t meant alone because Alya knew how hard it was for her to do one without using a higher level of magic, that’s why she had insisted on her getting help.

She should have listened to Alya from the very beginning. Maybe then going to Luka’s would have been her first choice, and the journey there wouldn’t be so dangerous as it could be now.

“How long do you think it will take me?” Marinette asked her best friend.

“Around two days if you don’t stop and walk fast, but that’s not possible, so more,”

“There are enough woods and little towns in the way,” Marinette mumbled. She considered the situation, it was dangerous, more so after using her power in an intensity she hadn’t use in years, but it could be her only chance to actually help Chat Noir. She not only trusted Luka, but she was also sure he was the answer to her pledges of restoring Chat’s real form.

“I’ll do it. It’s our best shot, and he deserves the best,”

**xx**

Marinette closed the curtains of her bedroom. The sunlight leaked through them but it was still better than the strong rays of sun hitting intensely.

She didn’t like the sun very much, she usually was awake at nights, when the town was up and running, it was only in months like October when she opened her shop on early hours, so more humans would visit.

Chat was different, he enjoyed the sun. He would open the curtains, just a tiny bit, and let the rays of sun hit his face. He would stand in front of it with his eyes closed for several minutes, giving smiles just as warm as the morning star.

She looked at him, comfortably sleeping on her bed, she did not want to wake him just yet.

She put on a silence spell on her and around her room, so all the magic she was going to execute wouldn’t wake him up.

Marinette used her magic to clean her mess, and as the dresses, socks and other clothes floated around and came back to their place, she would snap her fingers every time she saw a comfortable and cute outfit that she could use for the trip she was about to have.

Taking a black bag the size of a playground ball with a ribbon tied on top, she took the fairy dust she had on a bottle on top of her bureau and sprinkled in on top of it, that would help her. She took it with both hands and blew on top of it. That would do it, now she had “bottomless” bag where she could carry around all she needed.

Marinette threw the chosen outfits, a bag of toiletries, a few books if needed, her emergency witch kit (with her most used herbs, flower, and minerals) and last but not least, her scarlet cloak and two big blankets.

She looked around, realizing there was nothing she could pack for Chat Noir. He would need clothes once back on his real -and very handsome- real shape, but Marinette had no male clothes in the whole house. She would have to ask Luka to lend him something.

There was knock on the door and Marinette swirled one finger to open it.

“Now you knock,” Marinette teased the kitsune.

Alya floated until she arrived at Marinette’s side.

“I’m going to go find Luka and tell him you’re on your way,” Alya said, “I think it will be more dangerous for you if I travel with you, so I’ll try to keep an eye on you from the Spirit World and you know if anything happens, Tikki can contact me,”

“I know,” Marinette smiled but that smile easily dropped, “I’m a little scared, Alya,”  
“It’s only normal,” Alya leaned against her, “I’m sure he won’t let anything happen to you,”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Marinette sighed.

“Nothing will happen, believe me, the Kertáhs are not worried about you,” Alya lifted her gaze, and glanced at Chat Noir he looked at him for a few seconds before continuing. “I think the King lost his son,” She said in a very low whisper.

“The heir?” Marinette asked astonished. “Isn’t he kept locked down? Like for this not to happen?”

Alya nodded, “He is going crazy, as I already told you. All his efforts are focused on finding him,” She said, “I’m not saying is safe and you can go on a train and shoot your magic wherever you like, but if you keep a low profile I’m sure you’ll make it in one piece,”

“Is still eating me alive,” Marinette gasped, “I think the furthest I’ve gone in these seven years is the pumpkin farm, I haven’t even visited my parents,”

“You can back down, it’s okay and understandable,”

“No, I’ll do it,” The corners of her mouth lifted up, “October is a busy month for Luka too. There are too many stupid humans playing with ouija boards and kicking tombstones and, well you know, dumb humans. If I want him to come, I’ll have to wait until December, and I don’t have the patience for that,”

Alya giggled. She patted Marinette’s head and kissed her hair.

“I like you like this, M,” She said before standing up, “Before you wake your lover, sleep a few hours yourself, you’ll want to start traveling tonight,”

“Yes, boss,” Marinette clicked her tongue and snapped her fingers and pointed at Alya.

Alya sent her a flying kiss before vanishing.

Marinette stood up from the floor, she moved her bags and left them on top of the bureau and walked to her bed.

Chat had left a space on the bed as if he knew she was going to join him any time soon. And that’s exactly what she did.

**xx**

Marinette slept more hours than the ones she had planned to, so when she woke up the sun was hiding and the twilight was approaching.

It was time to go and she still hadn’t told Chat Noir about it.

Marinette sat on the bed, she fixed her messy hair and rubbed her eyes, adjusting her sight.

She touched Chat Noir’s shoulder and shook him softly. She ducked and started placing kisses all over his face.  

“Wake up, minou,”  
Chat Noir flinched away and growled.

“C’mon, pretty kitty, it’s time to wake up,” She whispered against his ear. He flapped them and opened one eye, meeting her sight.

“Morning, kitty,” She said between a tiny laugh.

“Morning, princess,” He pressed his elbows on the mattress, and lifted his body, sitting up. He leaned his head close to hers and nuzzled against her cheek, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” She kissed his cheek, “How are you?”

“Wonderful,” He looked at her with soft eyes, “Did you sleep, Nette? I’m gonna get angry if you haven’t,”

“I slept, no need to get worked up,”

“Good, that’s my girl,” Marinette rolled her eyes.

“Your girl has a proposal”

“So soon, my lady? Not that I’m complaining,” He put on that smirk that made her melt. She only wondered how lethal it was going to be with that handsome face of his.

“I was wondering, how would you feel about a little trip?”

“Trip? Where?”

“Mëynt,” Marinette said, “The house of a friend,”

“That’s close to Kertáh,” He answered, “It’s not a little trip, it’s six hours on a train,”

“And around four days walking,” Marinette added.

“ _Walking?_!”

“I can’t be seen, I don’t want to explain why yet, so don’t ask but, I can’t be seen in public spaces so the only chance is to walk and hide in woods and little towns,”

“I can’t be seen either” He grimaced “But we can’t do this, we can’t go walking,”

“I know a great exorcist, but he is there in Mëynt, he is my friend and he really is one of the greatest, kitty, he can help us,”   

“No,” He said

“Kitty,”

“I’m fine, we’re good, I don’t need to change back right now,”

“You do need,”

“No,” He repeated, his face like thunder “You’re on high demand this month, Marinette. I already made you close your store yesterday, I won’t let you close it for four days just because of me,”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Marinette huffed, “Four days won’t kill my business,”

“I have already messed up your life enough,”

“You haven’t messed up anything,” Marinette frowned, “I don’t like this self-loathing, we will have to work on that,”

“It’s not self-loathing, it’s the truth, you just can’t see it because I’m good at pretending,”  
“Stop,”

“Marinette this is dumb,”

“Don’t you understand I want you on your real form?!” Marinette shouted, “I want to be with you without any obstacles between us! Why is that so hard to understand?”

“You’ve known me for a week and a few days,”

“Oh well I’m sorry, I thought we had something going on… my bad,” Marinette gasped. She jumped off the bed and walked away.

Chat Noir took her arm and pulled her back.  

“We have something going on,” He nodded, “We have it and it’s special, that’s not what I… I’m scared and I’m throwing all the anger at you, I apologize, Marinette,”

Marinette didn’t answer. Her lips were pursed, her brows furrowed, and her arms were crossed in front of her chest.

“You really want to fix me, don’t you?”  
“Yes,” Marinette mumbled.

“Then I’ll go,”

“Don’t do it just because I’m mad,” Marinette said. No matter how hard she wanted to convince him, she didn’t want him to go against his will.

“I’m not, I’m doing it because you’re right, the sooner I get this demon out, the sooner we’ll know if this can work out,” He said pointing one finger to her and then him repeatedly.

“It will work out and I’ll make sure to give you self-love classes, alright?”

Chat Noir rolled his eyes. Marinette’s heart sting. Why was so hard for him t understand that he was wonderful and that he did not have to put himself down like that?

“So, when are we going?”  
“Twenty minutes?” Chat Noir’s eyes opened like two big plates. Yeah, he surely wasn’t expecting that.

**xx**

Leaving the valley was a fast process.

Marinette left a sign on her door, warning her clients that she would be close because the magic forecast for the next few days was not pleasant and would only make potions and charms unstable and dangerous. Magic didn’asrk like the weather, but they didn’t know that and she would use that to her advantage.

Then it was all about charging Chat Noir’s amulet, so he would disguise himself as a human as they traveled. He chose a more subtle face than his real one. Still blonde hair, but brown eyes, less of a perfect angled face. He was okay, quite pretty but after seeing him, Marinette was a little disappointed.

She also missed him being all fluffy, mostly because she had grown accustomed to it, and also because she liked how cute he could look when he smiled.

The first hour of the trip was the hardest part for Marinette.

She would look back and see the town disappear, then the forest, then the big city. She was walking away from all she had ever known in the past seven years, to say that she was anxious was falling short, Marinette was about to have a heart attack and faint right there.

But, Chat made it better. He somehow read her mood and held her hand and told her stories the whole time, distracting her from her fears.

She wouldn’t have been able to leave without him by her side, and once the city was nothing but a distant point in the horizon, Marinette had acquired the confidence she needed to keep going.

Marinette and Chat Noir walked through multiple forests in that whole day. Marinette barely used her magic more than to recharge the illusion necklace when Chat needed it and to guide them when they had lost their path.

The first day of traveling had been successful, and when the night fell, Marinette knew it was time to find a place to rest.

Lucky for them, they were passing through a small town, the population was mostly nymphs, goblins, and salamanders, and they counted with a cemetery on top of one of their hills. The perfect place for a witch to camp.

“Why are we going to the cemetery?” Chat Noir asked. He flickered his hair, moving it away from his eyes.

“We need to sleep a little, before continuing and cemeteries are safe ground for witches,” Marinette explained, “It won’t be comfortable but we’ll be safe, here I can throw one spell and all the magic in the air will make it stronger. Also, the spirits of old creatures will lend me protection if I send a blessing to them in the Spirit World,”

“Ah,”

“You know so little about witches, is odd because when I first met you, you knew your way around the forest so well,”

“I’ve never been taught much about witches. My father doesn’t seem to like them much, he only likes his assistant, and that would be it,”

“I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: your father is a horrible person,”

“He can be sometimes,” Chat said under his breath.

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said, realizing her mistake. But she couldn’t help it, he had only told her bad stories about him. And he had run away _because_ of him.

“Don’t be, you’re kinda right,” He sighed.

Marinette took his hand, and without knowing what to say she decided it was better to keep her mouth shut.

She pulled him close to her and entered the cemetery, guiding him so he wouldn’t stumble with ghosts. She already knew he wasn’t familiar with them.

Marinette walked fast but paying attention to every area of the cemetery, reading the energies and the magic, looking for the safest place to lie down for a few hours.

She stopped in an empty space, no energy was coming from there but there were enough positive vibes of magic flying around thanks to a few tombstones around it.

“Here,” Marinette pointed out at the vacant space and opened her bag to take one of the blankets out. She opened with magic and placed it on top of the dirt. “We can sleep here,”

Chat Noir didn’t answer, which was weird of him and that made her worry.

“You don’t like it here?” Marinette asked

“My father always said cemeteries were dangerous and horrible places for the death, that our bodies deserved more than being thrown on dirt,” He whispered. His sight was fixed on a tombstone not far away, “All the graves here are filled with flowers, rocks or some kind of gift, they all have engraved beautiful words of their loved ones and they seem to visit them too,”

“That’s why cemeteries exist, Chat,”

“Yeah,” He nodded, “My mom is not in a cemetery, my dad said it would be shameful and we will disrespect her if we buried her,”

Marinette’s heart skipped a beat. Chat had only made a few comments about her mother before, and they were always good, but she hadn’t dared to ask what had happened to her, she had suspected something wasn’t quite right, but she did not imagine she would be dead.

“I can’t visit her, I don’t know where my father has her,” He sighed, “I miss her so much,”

Marinette hugged him from his back. She could feel his fur even if she couldn’t see it because of the amulet’s magic, and that made her heart break even more. Was his life just marked by tragedy?

“What was she like?” Marinette asked.

“She was amazing, Nette, she was an incredible mom,” He took a deep breath, “In my world there are a lot of rules I have to follow and people expect so much of me that I live with the pressure every day, it has been like this since I turned twelve but when she was there it was easier.

She would help me out with everything, she would treat me like the kid I was when nobody else did, she would play with me and let me be a brat and she would spoil me every now and then,”

“She does sound like a great mom,”  
“I think you two would have understood each other,” Chat Noir took her hands and unclasped them, she made her circled hi around and stand in front of him. “You have the same spirit my mother had, at first I thought that was the reason why I felt so at ease with you, but then I realized you’re so much more. I like you because you remind me of her, of how I always thought a girl should be, she had all the good qualities I admire and would have like to find in a partner, because you know, it’s what I value, but then I met you and realized that was only a guide and realized I don’t only like girls who are energetic and kind, I like bossy girls, I like girls who could kick my ass if she wanted to, girls that are too smart for my own good, girls that are stubborn,” He laughed

“ _Girls_?” Marinette rose a brow and smiled amusedly.

“One girl,” He winked.

Marinette extended her arms, ready to go hug him, but he directed his gaze to the ground and started rummaging on his pocket.

Marinette tilted her head, externalizing her confusion.

“Here,” Chat Noir said.

He opened his hand in front of Marinette, revealing a beautiful silver necklace with a delicate flower pendant shaped like a teardrop with a ruby on it.

“It was my mother’s,” Chat Noir explained, “She used to wear it all the time. After her death I ran to her jewel box and took it, I was too afraid that my dad would throw it away,”  
“It’s beautiful,”

“I want you to have it,” Chat Noir said.

“What?” Marinette pounced, “No you can’t do that, it’s your mother’s,”

“I always carry it on my pocket, I never get to see it, I only know is there. If you have it I’ll know is there, I’ll get to see it, and the girl I love will be wearing one of my family heirlooms,”

“I…” Marinette was speechless. The gift was thoughtful and meaningful and he had just said he loved her.

Marinette felt the tears accumulating on her eyes, the emotions were too much.

“If you don’t want to,”  
“I do,” Marinette nodded with fervor, “If you want to, I do too,”

Chat Noir smiled from ear to ear. He took the necklace from both sides and made a motion with his head, ordering her to turn around.

She spun on her heels and gave him her back.

His arms passed on top of her until they were in front, he put the silver strap around her neck and clasped it closed. Marinette touched the cold pendant on top of her skin.

Smiling and with tears rolling down her cheeks, she turned back to face him.

“I’m so thankful for this, Chat,” She said between sobs.

“I’m the one who is thankful, princess, you have no idea,” He cupped her left cheek, “And… you can call me, Adrien.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohhh this one was a long one!  
> did you guys saw frozer?? im dead. 
> 
> uh i really haven't had time for much, but i got to write a little draft of this between classes and now is late and i finally finished! i think this is how it is going to go from now on!  
> again sorry if there's mistakes, i'll try to fix them in the morning as i have breakfast lol 
> 
> all the love and thank you for enjoying the fic and leaving lovely comments (i read them all via mail, but sometimes i don't get the time to answer them, but i appreciate each of them soooo much!!!)


	12. nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nightmare: a frightening or unpleasant dream. a very unpleasant or frightening experience or prospect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you didn't know by now, i live for angst and i've not given enough angst in this fic... i think i gotta fix that soon. 
> 
> tw: assault  
> tw: blood.

 

On the third day of their trip, Marinette decided it was time stop fishing in lakes, making Chat Noir catch bunnies for her to roast and sleep on cold cemeteries and cut short their trip by making their path through a larger city, instead of making a bigger turn in the woods.

It was not only fastest to go through there, but it was also more comfortable and fun.

Marinette had expected for them to go slower, but they had a good rhythm and every now and then Chat Noir would carry her on his back, and since he was the fastest of the two, she stopped slowing them down.

She was more confident that she had been when the trip began. They hadn’t had any problems and they had not stumbled with many travelers, only a few wild creatures on the woods and they were not aware of them most of the time.

A stop in a town was the smart thing to do and if there was any inconvenient, Mëynt was only five hours away.

This town was smaller than any other city she had heard about and looked more urban than her little town in the south. It also had an equal population of humans and magical creatures, which was a rarity.

Marinette and Chat Noir were walking through one of the big streets they found, holding hands and acting like humans. Marinette had changed her hair color to a light brown and her eyes to a different shade of blue with a potion she had made that morning before leaving the woods.

Marinette was sure there were prettier cities out there, she had heard Alya’s stories, Mrs. Hälsa had told her about her city made of glass, even Mrs. Bai had described beautiful places, and she came from far away lands that had been lost to war. But Marinette only knew the valley and her city, and she hadn’t visited the last one in so long that she couldn’t confirm if it looked the same.

This town had its own atmosphere. The houses were tall and the color scheme went from brown to black to orange. There were stairs everywhere and bridges in the middle of the buildings to get to one to another and to walk on the roofs. It was simply extraordinary.

Marinette was practically bouncing from one place to another, looking at all the showcases on the street, and dragging Chat Noir from one place to another before he could give an opinion on the shop after she had asked to.

Marinette stopped in a boutique, and pressed her hands against the big window, looking at the beautiful silk dresses on the black mannequins.

The design, the stitching, the way the skirt fell and remained flowing in a motionless structure, she only could imagine how great it would look on a person. It was beautiful, it was perfect.

“You want to go inside?” Chat asked.

“Can we?” Marinette turned around and looked at him, hope shining in her eyes.

“You’re the captain here, Marinette, is for you to decide,”

“I mean we have time, we were faster than what I thought we would be but I’m asking you if you want to,” Marinette explained. Maybe he would consider it a waste of time, boring completely useless.

“Let’s go in,” He pointed at the door with a move of his head.

Marinette jumped to his arms and let out a smacked a kiss on his cheek.

“You’re the best,”

“Everything for you, my lady,”

Marinette entered running, she couldn’t keep her cool, she was too excited. The last time she had been on a couture boutique it had been for her thirteenth birthday. Her mother went with her so they could choose a dress she had been dreaming with for two months straight. She never planned on wearing it, if she had, her mother would have never bought it, it was too revealing for a teenager, but Marinette wanted it so she could recreate it. It was a perfect dress, a perfect manifestation of the mind of the designer and Marinette had been in love with it. Just as in love as she was now by the beautiful dresses in front of her.

“I’ve never seen you this happy,” Chat Noir said.

“Oh, kitty, I don’t think I’ve been this excited in a very long time,” She said, she looked at him and jumped on her place, “If you want you can go around and--

“And miss the opportunity of seeing you in pretty and sexy dresses? No way,”

Marinette giggled. She knew that was half true, half trying to tease her but she was so full of joy that she had no way of leaving that state and make a smart remark.

And he looked sincerely happy for her. It was still odd to look at this fake face he had as a disguise, but it showed all his emotions and right now he was smiling just as wide as she was.

Marinette was struck of how normal this situation was when another couple entered the door. This was what people with normal lives did. They went out of their houses and walked around holding hands, they shopped together, laughed together, talk and show each other affection and they were not worried about what bad things could happen next.

In her happiness, a crack of sadness opened, but she didn’t let it show because she wasn’t going to let her thoughts ruin the only happy and normal day she had had in years. She was going to enjoy it at its fullest and she was not going to think about anything else but having fun.

**xx**

If that day had been longer, Marinette would have classified it as one of the best days of her life, but since she had so little time after being on the dress store, she could only feel like she had missed many opportunities. She had been so happy in the store that she tried on every dress that caught her attention. She showed every single one to Chat, and he had act impressed and lovestruck every time she opened the curtains of the fitting room.

Marinette had been unsure about buying a dress, realizing how selfish and childish her behavior was being. She had not come here to play, they were traveling - and putting her life on the line!- to get to Luka and perform an exorcism.

But Chat had convinced her.

She was so glad he had, because now with her bag on hand as they entered a small restaurant, so Marinette could eat, she couldn’t stop looking at it and feel like she had a souvenir of her extremely good day.

Marinette asked for a table for three people, saying someone was going to join them later on, but really she was just asking a table that would have enough space for Chat Noir.

The waiter came and took their order quite fast. Marinette asked for a plate of seafood pasta and a drink made of strawberries and sprinkles of nyxie dust. Chat asked for a piece of cake, that he wouldn’t eat because it was actually for Marinette and a glass of water.

When the woman left, Marinette looked at Chat Noir, worried.

“When was the last time you hunted? I don’t remember you doing it yesterday. You only caught a few bunnies for me,”

“I… I don’t want to hunt,” He said under his breath.

“Why not?” Marinette asked surprised, “Is the nerves?”

“No,” He rubbed the back of his neck, he looked troubled

“What’s wrong, kitty?” She asked, reaching for his hand at the other side of the table.

“You haven’t said my name once the whole day,” He said, avoiding the question.

“I’m not used to it yet,” Marinette answered. “And don’t change the subject,”

“Last night you wouldn’t stop repeating it,” He said, a secret message on his eyes.

Marinette blushed and pursed her lips. “That’s different…”

“Different how?” He rose a brow.

“I didn’t know how much I wanted to know your name since last night, once you revealed it,” She confessed, “And it feels surreal that I know, and that you gave me another piece of you that I can cherish, and it overwhelms me,”

“You’re so cute, I’m the luckiest,” He said. He pressed his elbow against the table and held his head with his hand, looking at her like she was the only thing on the whole room.  

“Your pretty looks and compliments won’t save you from my questions,” Marinette crossed her arms in front of her chest, “Why don’t you want to hunt?”

“Because it stopped working,” He said, leaning back on the chair.

Marinette knitted her brows, “What do you mean?”

“In my real shape I don’t hunt, but it worked on this one because I rejected every food that I tried, and I can’t…. with this shape I… it doesn’t matter, now my body is intolerant to this, it worked for a while, not perfectly, but it put me at ease, now it makes me feel sick,”

“Why did you hide something like this?”  
“Because it is not for you to worry and because tomorrow I’ll be back to my real self and I know how to take care of it like that,”

Marinette wanted to argue against that logic, but she had been having such a great day that she didn’t want to ruin it by fighting.

“Promise you will?” Marinette asked but it sounded like a plead.

The corner of his lip lifted, almost forming a smile but his expression changed to something mysterious. It was that look that made Marinette wonder what his past held against him because there had to be a reason why he could express so much darkness with just one glance.

“It will be the first thing I do, my lady,” He said, “Or I’ll be someone you don’t want to be with,”

Marinette giggled, it had sounded like a joke but his dry eyes made her doubt.

“Adrien,” She said his name, and just like she predicted, that changed his mood.

“Nette,” He answered and leaned towards her, almost dropping a glass in the process.

“Thank you for coming to my life,” She leaned on the table too, pressing her forehead with his, “I didn’t remember I could feel so much happiness,”

“That makes two of us,” He smiled, “I’ve lived a sheltered life and when I ran away I was expecting to see the world, find something else behind the walls that I’ve always been in, and I’m so glad I found it, I’m so glad I found _you,”_ _  
_ “Why is that you always…” Marinette was distracted by the man that passed behind Chat.

She felt like someone had dropped a bucket of ice cold water on top of her. Her heart started beating in a peace so fast, she didn’t think it was healthy and her body started trembling, making the chair she was sitting start shaking uncontrollably.

“Marinette,” Adrien called her name and took her hand between his.

“We have to go,” Marinette stood up from the table and threw a few nuris for the waiter, even if their food had not arrived yet.

“Ma--

“ _Now,”_

She hoped he would understand that she was being serious, that she could explain him everything later but she had no time to check if he was following. She just left the restaurant without thinking of anything else.

She pushed people and dodged tables and chairs, making her way to the front door, and jogging outside, back in the main street.

The street posts were already illuminated with their multiple candles, and the chandeliers hanging from the bridges were sparkling with oil lamps.

It was night but it didn’t look like it, however, that would help her.

“Mari,” She heard Chat Noir approaching her and felt him reaching for her hand, but she was on edge and she didn’t want to be touched, so she flinched away.

“I saw a hostel where we can stay, let’s go,”

 **xx**  
Adrien tried to ask what was going on with her multiple times, but he didn’t try to touch her again and after Marinette’s constant silence he finally understood that he should shut up too.

The hostel Marinette had seen was a few blocks down from the restaurant they had been eating in, and it was not a long way from one point to another, but Marinette was so afraid of being followed that they might as well have walked for three hours.

She chose that hostel because of the host. When they passed outside, Marinette felt the magic vibes radiating from there and she knew that was the place. The magic of the goblin would work as a perfect camouflage for hers.

Goblins being a minor deity, with almost as many powers as a high-rank witch, mixed well with witches and there was a silent loyalty between them. Goblins were one of the only immortal creatures Marinette trusted. They looked like humans but they were not dashingly beautiful as fairies, vampires, and mermaids could be, they would rather be wise than beautiful and they did not need to look hauntingly gorgeous to lure their prey, because just like witches they weren’t predators.

When she opened the door and ran inside, the goblin, a man that looked on his thirties but probably was a hundred years old at least, welcomed her. She could tell he felt her magic, there was a smirk on his face that confirmed it.

He looked at Chat and Marinette wished he couldn’t see behind the illusion, that her magic was still working well and that the charge on the amulet wasn’t low.

“Do you take energy from the moon or the sun, sweetheart?” The goblin asked.

“Moon,” Marinette answered. Yes, he knew.

“Room forty-three, dear,” He gave her a key, “I assume you only come with him?”

“Yes, him and no one else,” Marinette marked her words.

“Noted, “The goblin nodded, “Have a nice night,”

“Thank you so much,” Marinette genuinely smile, her anxiety dissipating a little, “C’mon, Adrien, let’s go upstairs,”

The room they rented was little but spacious enough for two people who were only going to sleep there for a night. It had a bed, a desk with a chair and a bathroom, it was more than enough.

Marinette pulled Adrien inside and closed the door behind them, locking all the padlocks and checking them twice.

“Marinette you’re scaring me,”

“It is nothing,” Marinette spat, “I’m sleepy, are you sleepy? Good, let’s sleep, the bed is big, let’s sleep, yeah sleep,”

Marinette threw her bags to the chair and started undressing, leaving the clothes on the floor and kicking them so they wouldn’t hinder the way. Chat was always complaining about falling because of the clothes on the floor of her room.

Already on her underwear, Marinette swiftly moved to the bed and wrapped herself on the sheets and covers, giving her back to Chat and facing the wall.

“Good night, kitty, sweet dreams,”

She didn’t wait for an answer, she closed her eyes and whispered a spell to make her fall asleep immediately.

**xx**

 

_The sound of dripping water went on and on and on and on._

_Marinette opened her eyes and looked around the room, trying to find the place where the gutter was, maybe if she knew from where it was coming she would be able to stop it._

_It was useless, just as the many times she had tried before, she couldn’t place the sound at any corner of the dark and cold room._

_Marinette hugged her legs and put her head on top of her knees. She blew her warm breath in the air and it turned into steam._

_She wanted to leave but she was not sure if she could yet. She had promised her mother that she would stay hidden until she came back looking for her but it had already been ten hours and she was still there, hungry and cold._

_Maybe something had happened to them, it was not normal for her mother to take so long._

_Marinette stood up and started walking to the door. Something was wrong, she felt it on her bones and she had to do something about it, no matter the risk._

_She ran to the front wall and took the stair leaning against it, she moved it and used it to climb to the roof and open the trap door._

_She was in her house again, it was the evening and the sun was barely kissing the windows. Marinette closed the trapdoor under her and walked to the hallway._

_The house was silent, an abnormality for her home and that’s when she was convinced that something wrong what’s happening for sure._

_Marinette started running in the direction to the kitchen, where her parents would usually be. And she found them, just no in the conditions she would expect._

_Her mother was lying on the floor, unconscious in the top of a puddle of blood. Her father was nailed against the wall, a huge and slim metal bar crossing through his stomach, keeping him on his feet._

_Marinette felt her knees trembling and she fell to the floor._

_“No, no, no,” How long had it been? Why hadn’t she leave the shelter sooner?_

_Marinette crawled close to her mother, staining her clothes with her blood. She touched her cheek and her neck, looking for her pulse. She still had one._

_Marinette sobbed. There was still a chance._

_She closed her eyes and pressed her hands on her mother’s forehead. She could do this, she had read about this on books._

_Marinette concentrated, she found her center and started moving the magic to the exterior. She felt it reaching her fingers, now she only had to say the words._

_Marinette opened her mouth she whispered the first part of the spell and then was interrupted._

_Arms twisted around her waist and pulled her away from her mother, throwing her against the tile floor. She hit her head and her back, the pain ran through her body like a thousand needles pressing on those spots._

_“She is here!” Someone screamed and she was once again lifted._

_She was pushed against a wall, a hand grasped her neck and started asphyxiating her._

_“Neroj, he needs her alive!”_

_“I’m just playing!” The man holding her answered, “Look at this young creature, no, better smell at this girl and tell me you wouldn't like to play a little,”_

_The other man appeared on her camp of vision, looking just as terrifying._

_“Is this why our King wants her because I’m starting to understand,” He chuckled. “Maybe if we take a few bites nothing will happen,”_

_“You’ve never said something so clever, Yerr,”_

_Marinette jolted, she tried to escape but it was foolish, she was too weak and they were too strong._

_Before it happened, Marinette felt it and she saw it._

_She saw his eyes changing from blue eyes to red irises, he saw them smiling and showing off their fangs. She saw them approaching, putting their hands on her, pulling her hair and hitting her stomach so she would stop moving._

_The first man that held her started first, he kept choking her but left a space just right where her pulse was throbbing like a maniac._

_He opened his mouth and pierced his teeth into his skin, starting to drink her blood._

_Marinette screamed, cried and kept moving, but it was more and more painful every time. They were not even making it easy for her, they weren’t numbing her down, they weren’t giving her their venom, they wanted her to suffer._

_The man hadn’t finished when the other started doing the same but biting her other side._

_She felt like fainting, she felt like dying._

_She closed her eyes and waited for it, knowing that she wasn’t strong enough to save herself._

_Marinette!_

_Marinette!_

_Marinette!_

“Marinette wake up!”

Marinette opened her eyes and saw Chat Noir above her, squeezing her shoulders and shaking her. His eyes were wide open, filled with tears and he was out of breath.

Marinette saw around her, realizing it all had been nothing but a horrible nightmare where past memories had come back to haunt her.

“Princess?”

Marinette sobbed, she pressed her hands on her face and started crying more intensely.

“No, no, oh, Nette,” Adrien wrapped her in a warm hug. He rubbed his nose against her neck and whispered in her ear, “It was a nightmare, nothing but a dream, Marinette. I’m here with you, and you’re safe, we are together, and whatever you saw in your dream is nothing but a fake scenario,”

Marinette couldn’t stop, she couldn’t feel safe, because it wasn’t just a dream, it wasn’t fake, it was a memory of something that had happened eight years ago. A memory that she couldn’t let go, no matter how hard she tried it always found its way to come back to her.

“I hate them, kitty, I hate them,” Marinette cried louder. She turned on the bed, and now was facing at Chat. She still had her eyes closed, but now she could hide her face on the crook of his neck.

“You’re with me, princess, no one is going to hurt you,”

“They will, they’ll find me, someday they will,”

“Marinette…”

“I just want to live without wondering if I’ll be alive tomorrow,” Marinette shouted, “They took that away from me,”

“Who did, Nette?”  
Marinette hiccuped, “Those…” She stopped, the images of her nightmare coming back, “Those monsters… _that_ monster,” Marinette had never seen him in person, she had only heard rumors of him and descriptions of people that swore to have seen him, “The vampire king, he took everything away from me,”


	13. black cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> black cat: a black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed. 
> 
> well there are 2 black cats in this chapter so full-on not cheating the prompt :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. there's a smut scene in this chapter and i've never written a full on smut scene? like i always write some sexy scenes, kinda there, but a sex scene is just not what i do?? so my apologies just in case it flops lol
> 
> 2\. have any of you seen the kdrama goblin?? bc that's pretty much how i am imagining the goblin that owns the hostel. and well that's that x

 

“I was in the middle of my training at that moment,” Marinette said, “I knew little to nothing about protection spells because I had never needed them so that’s what I thought that I was going to die there but my magic acted on its own... I killed both of those vampires, I was still weak for all the blood they drunk but I was able to reach my mom and perform a healing spell, powerful enough to wake her up, but that made me faint. I don’t remember anything after that, there are weeks erased from my mind. I was under observation, they were worried that I could have venom running on my veins -that’s dangerous for a witch- and then I was taken to a private institute, they thought it would be safer but they found me again, and every time I moved they found me,”

Marinette looked at Chat, searching for reassurance, but he was looking at a death point on the wall.

Marinette gulped, she wrapped herself with the blankets of the bed, looking for heat, because Adrien was not providing it for her with his hugs as he always did.

“Well, and you can imagine the rest,” Marinette muttered.

“No,” He said, “Keep going,”

 _I don’t want to._ Marinette thought. She did not want him to know so soon. Her situation was a deal breaker, she was aware of it and the little times she had made a new relationship, she had taken her time to prepare them before she told them.

“Marinette, keep going,” He said, his voice was icy.

His stance, the look on his eyes, the killer voice, every little detail portrayed on him right now, was the opposite of the man she knew. And that made it hard to speak.

“There’s not much more to say….”

“There’s everything to say, Marinette!” He rampaged out of the bed. “I did not understand why you couldn’t be seen and I did not ask because you told me not to. When Alya told you about the King, you brushed it off as it was not important and Alya said you disliked him, you made it pass as it was a rational fear but there’s more!”

“Adrien…”

“You have a traumatic experience and they have been following you for years, but there’s more, isn’t it? Those assholes who assaulted you, you said you were thirteen, but you didn’t move to the valley until you were around fifteen, that’s what you told me,”

“Yes,” Marinette nodded. Tears accumulated on her eyes but she did her best to not let them fall.

“Tell me,”

“I…, “Marinette gasped, “I feel like I need to put you into context,”  
“Please do,” He stared at the window, at the rising morning sun.

“The vampire king, he comes from a very rare and powerful lineage, the Agreste. They’re not a hundred percent vampires, I don’t think any vampire is in this era, but after years they are purebloods and have become the most powerful of their kind because they have succubus genes and abilities,” Marinette explained, “Vampires, the usual kind, can compel people to do what they want, but the effect doesn’t last long. Is different with the Agrestes they don’t only control your mind, they control your soul, it is said that the vampire king is so powerful that he can control people that are kilometers away from him and I think he does because no matter how much I moved, how far away I was training, he always found me.

He used people I loved against me, he controlled them and made them attack me, made them stab me and try to take my blood. After five times, we knew this was going on and that he wasn’t going to stop, the Witch Court trained me to break his spells but it takes so much energy and magic to do so and soon enough we realized he was finding me because of my magic. I’ve been restringed of using my full power since that day,”

“How powerful are you?” He asked, “From where I come we have witches, a different kind, not the kind you’ll like I guess, but they’re not close to being like you, they would never compare and yet, they do extraordinary spells and charms. If you are not using your full potential, what is it?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never been able to train it,”

“You can’t break a vampire compelling power so easily,” He whispered, almost inaudible.

“I guess, I haven’t done it in a long time so I don’t know how much power it took me, I also only did it two or three times, when he noticed I could do it he changed strategies,” Marinette’s voice trembled at the end.

The memories of that night flashed through her mind and it was like being in that roof again.

Remembering the smell of the recently burned wood mixed with the falling water still made her stomach twist. The image of lightings falling in the city, the water that prevented her from seeing clearly, the four vampires following her, their red irises and black scleras, their fangs shining and licking drops of blood that belonged to her classmates and teachers. The look of that woman going behind her, with chains and a dagger made of what Marinette would discover later was ruthenium.

Chat grasped her shoulders and looked at her with so much intensity on his eyes that it would start a fire just by thinking about it. “What did he do?”

“He sent his slayer,” Marinette gasped.

“ _Sancoeur,_ ”

“You’ve heard of her?” Marinette’s lips quivered.

“I know more of Kertáh that what I’ve let you think I do, princess,” Marinette wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that implication. “She’s merciless,” Adrien whispered, and finally his attitude changed.

He let go of her but stayed close, he still looked like someone had hit him in the face with an invitation to a funeral, but he wasn’t frigid towards her.

“I’m pushing you, aren’t I?” He asked, there was guilt on his voice.

“Yes,” Marinette admitted, finally letting out a bit of her frustration, hitting his chest with her fist. He took it and opened it and, rubbing his thumb across her palm.

“Besides Sancoeur,” He whispered, unsure. “Do you remember anyone else?”

Marinette remembered every single one of them, all the vampires knights, all the vampire civilians, all the other creatures under his control, the man under Sancoeur’s control. Every single person that had attacked her, that had stabbed and hurt her, all of them had a special place on her memory.

“Yes,” She gasped, “That’s why I ran off the restaurant… I thought I saw one of them,”

“That’s it,” He stood up once again. His hands were on fists, and his chest was going up and down at a worryingly fast rhythm.

“Minou,” Marinette whispered, standing up too and following him.

“No one is ever going to hurt you again, I’m gonna make sure of that,” He said. He was walking from one corner of the room to another.

His anger was palpable in the air. Marinette had never seen him so out of himself.

“They won’t touch you, see you, or even think of you ever again. I’m gonna kill them with my bare hands,” He said between shaky breathes, “I’m gonna kill them all,”

“ _Adrien,_ ” Marinette wrapped her hands around his arm and pulled him back to her, too scared he was going to hit the window and crash it.

His words were heavy on her heart, she couldn’t pass them by as an empty threat, something Alya or her parents could say but would never be able to achieve. Right now his whole being was screaming those words. He believed those words and he had turned them into a promise.

“They deserve it, Nette,” He said, as if he just knew that she was planning a way to change his mind, “I’m going to make them suffer,”

“Calm down,”

“I won’t! I can’t!” He said exasperated, “Once I’m me, oh, they better hide,”  
“It’s not worth it, kitty,”

“It is! Why do they do this to you? What have you done to them? Why does he want you so badly?”   

“I’m not the “Witch of Luck and Love”, that’s a fake title I use to hide, to protect myself. I’m the Witch of Creation, Adrien,” She said, as if that explained it all, “Do you know what that means?”

Chat Noir didn’t answer.

The tension in the room grew, it was like spiderwebs sticking to their bodies as the room turned smaller and narrow, asphyxiating them.

“It means that my power eclipses any other, it means that if a witch has problems I’m the one who’s supposed to help them, but I can’t,” She said after a long minute of silence, “He is already powerful enough on his own, with my blood, he would be unstoppable, but my blood is not the only thing he wants,”

“He wants your soul,” Chat said. Understanding sparkled on his eyes, it was like he had just solved a puzzle, Marinette just didn’t know what puzzle it was. “That’s why he sent Sancoeur… how?”

“How I’m still here?” Marinette laughed, unamused. “She can’t take my soul, Agreste has to do it himself and when the slayer realized that, she stopped and I was smart and luckily fast enough to attack her and I was able to escape,”

“She is gonna be the first to die, I promise,”

“It’s not a joke,” Marinette hissed.

“I know, _it’s a promise,”_ He said, not looking at her. “I know witches are wary of vampires, but you despised them and I couldn’t understand why, because not all of them are bad, you know but… I get it, after all that, you only can hate them,” The way he formulated the phrase was strange, she wasn’t sure what he was actually trying to say.

Marinette wanted to hug him, but the atmosphere around them was not right. He was on edge, he was burning in rage and Marinette couldn’t do anything to help, here words were the ones that made him act like this.

She never imagined he could have a side so dark. Through his actions and his words, she saw tragedy on his past, she saw the sorrow, the guilt, the sadness, but she never saw this fiery wrath. He really looked ready to snap anyone’s neck. This was the first time after realizing he wasn’t a monster, that she was afraid of him, of what he could do.

“You should go eat something,” He muttered, walking away from her. “Stay close to the goblin and don’t let anyone see you,”

Too scared to say anything back, she nodded in agreement.

**xx**

Marinette had breakfast in the dining hall of the hostel.

She took a piece of cake and a glass of milk and sat alone in the table closest to the reception desk where the goblin was sitting.

After she finished her cake and had drink half of her milk, the goblin sat next to her to make her company.

“I hope you don’t mind,” He said, putting on top of the table a mug of a purple beverage.

“Not at all,” She smiled sincerely. “You have a nice hostel, and my room was great, the moonlight hit just right,”

“Thank you, I’m happy you enjoyed it,” He looked at her with soft eyes, “My name is Tae Sik, may I know yours or is it too dangerous?”

“I rather keep it to myself, I’m sorry,”

“I understand,” And Marinette knew he did, “Your magic is under lock and I still feel how powerful your aura is,”  
“Then you’re extremely powerful yourself,” Marinette rose a brow, showing her amusement.

“Oh, let’s not talk about me,” He laughed,

“Then we won’t be able to talk much, because I don’t want to talk about me either,” She giggled.

“Okay, I’ll stop with the lies,” Tae Sik sighed, “You may not recognize me, but I know who you are,”

Marinette dropped the fork she was holding, a quiver ran through her spine.

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me,” He whispered. He put his hand on top of hers and bowed with his head, “I used to work at _Saint Ana’s_ , I saw a few of your training seasons before… before you left,”

Marinette didn’t remember much about _Saint Ana’s,_ she had been there for a long time compared to other places she had been sent but it was still a very short time, and she hadn’t been interested in exploring and getting to know the place, she knew she was leaving soon.

“I’m the one who recommended the valley you live in now, I’m friends with a witch who serves as your guardian,”  
“You know Mrs. Hälsa?” Marinette asked a note of hope on her voice.

He nodded, “We were partners for a long time before we retired and decided to follow more quiet goals,”

“That’s so crazy, the world is so small,”

“It is indeed,” He nodded, “I was so surprised when I saw you walk in, I wanted to talk more but you looked frightened, I figured that the best was to give you a room fast,”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it,” Marinette took a sip of her glass of milk, “It is lovely here, I had a great time yesterday but I had an incident and it kind of ruined it… did anyone come asking for me?”

“No one,” He answered, “I also put on a cloaking spell over the hostel. As long as you’re here no one new will be able to see this building,”

“What? This is your business, you can’t do that,” Marinette said both grateful and guilty.

“No sense, I do great, we always have the city full of tourists, a day or two won’t hurt me,”

“ _Thank you,_ ”  
“There’s is no need to thank me, dear,” He squeezed her hand, “I don’t know what you’re doing out of the valley, but it looks important,”

“It is,” Marinette saw something moving on her left, swiftly moving away and almost dropping her glass by how strong her moves were.

“I’m sorry, this mangy cat likes milk too much, even if he can’t have it,” Tae Sik, leaned over the table and took the black cat that had startled her. “This is Vivi,”

Tae Sik took the little cat’s paw and offered to Marinette. She laughed and took it with her hand, greeting the animal.

“Hello Vivi, I’m M,” She said. The cat meowed back and licked her fingers.

“Oh, it is adorable, ” Marinette said, “I have a black cat too, he is not as cute and sometimes he can be a little grumpy and irrational,”

“You had a fight with your boyfriend?” Tae Sik asked.

Marinette winked shocked, then she remembered she was talking with a goblin.  “The amulet didn’t work, uh?”

“Not for me, but don’t you worry, it wasn’t easy to see through it,” He chuckled, “And I couldn’t see what he actually was either,”

“Neither can I and he won’t tell me, he is convinced I’m going to hate him, I mean, it took all of him to tell me he was possessed, and I feel like I would violate his privacy if I tried to use a spell to figure it out what he really was,”

“You would so don’t do that. And maybe he has a reason?”  
“I bet he does, but I don’t think nothing in the world would make me hate him, I’ve known him for so little time but I feel like… like he is the one, you know?”

“Oh young love,” He laughed, “Going back to something you said, he is possessed?”

“He is charming and sweet but he is so naïve,” Marinette sighed exasperated, “He tried to turn a demon into a familiar, the demon convinced him it was possible, and then tried to possess him and something went wrong,”

Tae Sik laughed. Marinette would never make feel Adrien feel wrong on propose, but she was glad someone realized how stupid he had really been.

“Wait, he doesn’t want you to know what he is and he is the victim of a possession gone wrong,” Tae Sik touched his chin and looked up, his expression changed, narrowing eyes and wrinkled nose

“Yeah,” Marinette admitted, “What are you thinking?”

“I’ve seen a few possessions that have gone wrong in the course of my life, and all of them have been dark witches or warlocks,”

Marinette’s whole body ached at the realization.

Could he be a dark warlock? Could someone as sweet as he had betrayed the most sacred oaths? But it made sense, he loathed himself and he really believed she was going to hate him.

She could bring him back to the light, she would guide him and help him in all he needed. She could do that, for him. She resented and had very strong feelings of the witches that decided to turn dark but this was Adrien, she could do her very best to understand him.

“I can’t believe I hadn’t thought about that,” Marinette gasped.

“You have been bereft of seeing so many things, it’s not your fault,” Tae Sik patted her hand. “Is that why you fought?”  
“No,” Marinette shook her head, “He was angry and he acted a bit aggressive, I was scared,”

“Of him?” He furrowed his eyebrows.

“At the moment I thought so, but I think I was more afraid of what he could do and how those actions could put him in danger,” Marinette explained, only realizing how true her words were once she said them, “He is always so sweet that I feared I had broken him somehow,”  
“He reacted like that to something you said?”

“I explained to him why I live in the valley,”

“Oh,” He prolonged the word for far too long, “He is worried about you,”

“He is vengeful,” Marinette said, unhappy that she had to use that word associated with him.

“He must have been shocked and he must love you very much,”

“Is not reason enough,”

“Love is wonderful, dear, but it kills a few portions of our brain, like those logic areas that are so useful,” Marinette laughed at his joke, “I’m sure once he calms down he will be the man you know,”

Marinette looked at Vivi, between them, rolling in the table and playing with a few sparks that had started to fall on top of them. One fell on its eyes and the cat meowed, went back to its feet and growled, when no one attacked back he came back to his game.

Marinette petted the cat and smiled, “Yeah, I think you’re right,”

**xx**

 

When Marinette arrived back to their room she made it with a heart full of hope. Her talk with Tae Sik had been enlightening and refreshing. And she was ready to face the world, or rather, she was ready to face Chat Noir.

“I’m back,” She said as she closed the door behind her.

He was lying in bed, looking at the roof, hands on the back of his head and legs crossed.

She started walking towards him. She felt like she was carrying her heart on her hand and that he could stab it any time.

“I talked with the owner, his name is Tae Sik, he used to teach in one of the institutes I went to. He was really nice, I had fun, and he has a cat, its name is Vivi, it’s a black cat, I think you would like her,”

“I’m sorry I scared you,” He said, ignoring all her chit chat. “I meant all that I said, but I was driven by emotion and I scared you, I apologize,”

“I’ve never seen you like that,” Marinette sat on the edge of the bed, testing the waters before completely approaching.

“You have only seen my good side, Marinette. There’s so much about me you don’t know,”

“I can imagine, we’ve only known each other for two weeks,” Marinette gasped, “But I want to know more,”

Marinette reached for his hand. He pulled away.

He sat on the bed and at that moment Marinette felt that him pulling away from her wasn’t because of the awkward vibe they were experimenting after their talk.  
“Why don’t you want to touch me?” Marinette asked cautiously.

“I’m _dying_ to touch you, princess,” He said, but he kept the distance between them. “But that is my selfish desire,”

“How can it be selfish when I want you to do it?” Marinette crawled in the bed, closing the distance, but she didn’t force him to touch her, “What is going on with you? Since this morning, since I told you about my past, you’ve been acting up…”

He didn’t answer and avoided her gaze.

“Did I scare you away? Is that you don’t want to be with me anymore? ”

“Marinette that’s all I want, but...”

“But?”

“Your heart has been broken a million times, maybe not a romantic heartbreak, but you’ve been snatched of everything you love, people you trusted have let you down, and you’re in constant danger,” He bit his lip, tears were approaching in his eyes, “When I said I was going to get you killed, I never knew how real that was, I never knew how bad of a choice I was for you until this morning. I was aware that I didn’t deserve you, but now? I can’t be so selfish, I can’t make you love me,”

“I already lo-

“NO!” He broke the distance by covering her mouth with his hand. “Not a word,”

Marinette hit his arm, pushing it away. “Don’t do this!”

“I have to,” He said, “Marinette we are not meant to be together, I’m going to destroy you,”

“You say you love me, that you want to be with me but this is not going to work if you don’t have faith in us,” Marinette started to tear up, “The only thing that it’s tearing us apart is your fear. I want you, and I have faith in us,”

“Faith is not going to save us, we are meant to break, my lady. You deserve so much better than me, I’m not the man I’ve made you think I am. Your past is my cue to stop, once I go back to who I really am, I’m leaving,”

“No, no,” Marinette shook her head. “You can’t leave me, you have to trust me, we are meant to be, Adrien,”

“Maybe in some other dimension our love blossoms just like us did, and turns into the most beautiful flower. But here, princess, being who you are and being who I am, we were trimmed even before we could think in opening our petals,”

“Don’t turn me down by being all poetic,” Marinette sobbed and threw herself at his arms.

He didn’t hug her, he didn’t move away, he just stood like he didn’t care at all.

“Pretend we never talked, pretend you don’t know anything about my past,” Marinette begged between harsh sobs.

“ _I can’t_ ,” The sorrow on his voice matched the one in her heart.  
“Pretend, for _me._ If you love me, just pretend,”

Marinette ran his hands through his nape and leaned until she pressed a peck on his lips. He was always so cautious about not letting her near, fearing he could hurt her with his sharp fangs, but she didn’t care anymore, she just wanted him.

Marinette started kissing him, getting no response at all at first but then he opened his mouth and started kissing her back like he had been kept deprived of air and she was the only resource.

Adrien’s mouth was soft against her, he moved with caution and he would stop her every time she tried to go faster, but he was still as passionate as she always imagined he would be.

Marinette opened her mouth, reaching for air and then licked his bottom lip, asking for permission that was quickly granted.

Marinette deepened the kiss, and moved on top of him, kneeling with one leg at each side of him. Her hands were tugging his hair, and pulling him closer.

Adrien’s hands were on her hips, pressing her to him as tightly as he could.

Marinette stopped kissing him, she pressed her forehead against him and opened her eyes.

The air was thick and their shared look send electrifying sensations down her spine. It was hypnotizing, like everything with him was.

The sole beat of his heart was enough to send a frenzy hit in her body. The pain in her heart was strong but her wish of never letting him go was stronger.

Marinette reached for his hands, she guided them through her body, reaching her knees, and then pulling them up, under her dress, pressing them on her upper legs, her hips, her tummy and lastly her breasts.

Marinette let them go and reached for the cleavage of her dress starting to unbuttoning it.

“Marinette,” He gasped, he was begging for her to stop their suffering, but Marinette couldn’t, she had to try.  
“Pretend with me,” Marinette pleaded, leaving a kiss on the corner of his mouth, “But, if you really want to stop...”

“I don't want to stop, it has nothing to do with it” He sobbed, “If I do this, I’m gonna terribly hurt you once hell breaks loose,”

“I can handle that,”

“No you won’t, I know that _I_ won’t,” He said, “If we do this… I don’t want to break your heart, Marinette,”

“You’re breaking it right now,” She said, tears falling once again.

“I love you, I really do and I really want you right now but---

“Then love me,” She begged desperately, “We’ll deal with the consequences later, but love me now,”  
When his lips came back to her, so did her heart. It felt like it had been stripped away that morning and had only come back when its rightful owner had decided to give it back.

Marinette tied herself to him as her life depended on it, and maybe it did, how dangerous it felt didn’t matter because she was chaining herself to his love, even if it was a castle made of sand.

They had been together a few times now, but none of those times felt like this. Their past nights had been consumed by passion and enthusiasms, right now it was like they were drowning in their feelings.

Marinette felt every nerve of her body exposed as his hands and his tongue made their way across her skin, reaching for every undiscovered spot.

His hands made circular motions on her lower back, where her _witch mark_ was. Little dark spots like the ones of a ladybug were splattered all over. He had been so surprised when he saw them for the first time, and he always made sure to cherish that part of her. Marinette loved it and she kissed him softly when he was exploring with his hands in there.

The only thing she had ever been high on had been her own magic, but right now she knew she had a new addiction, and it was him.

Marinette spread her legs wider, lowering herself on his body to feel his bulge against her.

“Princess,” He growled against her ear, licking her lobule. “You said---

“I know what I said, fuck what I said,” She moaned. She tugged his hair and pulled his head back to her mouth, “Fuck me,”

“Wow, who knew you had such a dirty mouth, my lady,”

“Only you,” Marinette kissed him swiftly, without mercy. She felt one of his teeth against her lip but she didn’t mind. She kept kissing him, touching him and torturing him, rocking her hips against him.

Something changed in him, something that Marinette couldn’t place, but it was enough for him to turn rougher and give Marinette exactly what she had asked for.

Chat took her by her waist and turned her around, pressing her against the mattress. He took her arms and caught them with one hand around her wrists, putting them above her head. With his free hand, he took one of Marinette’s legs and twisted it around his waist, lowering himself to her entrance.

Marinette arched her back at the pleasuring sensation. This was not how she planned things to go, she wanted to wait until he was himself again, but this still felt heavenly, and it was him, it was her minou and that was all that mattered.

He didn’t move, he pressed himself as far as he could and then started kissing her breasts, playing with her tongue around her most sensitive spots, and getting in return loud whining moans.

“Kitty!” Marinette jolted, but it was useless, he was stronger. “Please,”

“You’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes on, do you know how beautiful you really are, princess?”

“Yes,” Marinette answered, more of frustration than anything else, “You’re not the only man that has ever complimented me,”

“Oh,” He said and he thrust once and then stopped, as a take-back, ”There have been other men, my lady?”  
“Yes,” She answered, he thrust one more time, Marinette let out a shaky growl. “No one like you,” She bawled, shaking her hips, trying to create friction.

“There’s no one like you either, Nette,”

Chat let go of her hands and lowered himself even more and finally started to move.

Marinette’s body reacted on its own and her mind erased any other thought that wasn’t related to her, Chat and the pleasure she was feeling.

Every lunge of his body was a step closer to heaven, every word he whispered on her ear made her wait for him to tell her that she loved her, every kiss they shared made her more and more sure that this was real love.

Marinette’s body felt so warm that she thought she was about to burn for real, she was a firework in the making, getting hot and ready to burst at any moment.

She wasn’t in control of her own body anymore, it twisted, spun and moved at its own rhythm, her moans, and screams, as embarrassed as she was of them, wouldn’t stop. She never knew she could be so vocal and loud, but he was proving her that. Her body reacted to every move of him without asking her and when she finally snapped, it was only because he had too.

Chat fell on top of her, all his weight against her would have been a problem in other situation but right now she couldn’t feel her body. It was tingling but her mind was so far away from her corporeality that it was like she had no sensation.

“I love you,” Marinette whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Don’t,” He answered back before start crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay here i'm dying of embarrassment, don't hate me yall i tried my best here lol  
> also now marinette is 100% a furry geee  
> and also i promised angst and here i deliver, bc that's just me :D  
> also wtf i wrote 5k words of this, when i told myself this fic was going to have at most 2.5k words per chapter, ugh why am i like this lol
> 
> thank you for your comments and your support. all the love, see ya tomorow!
> 
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	14. horror movie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> horror movie: unsettling films designed to frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi it's super late (isn't it always lol) and i have a statistics test and a psychology of personality test tomorrow, so i'm sorry if i missed stuff while editing :)
> 
> i hope you enjoy!

After years pretending she knew everything about love and that she could help anyone meet their soulmate, Marinette finally realized that love wasn’t as easy as she sold it at her shop.

Love itself is simple but its actions are complex, and love intertwines with another sphere of feelings that turn your world upside down. Love was contradictory and made the world clash.

Marinette nuzzled her head against Chat’s neck. He was carrying her on his back, so they were moving fast, only being ten minutes away of their destination.

Marinette knew she was holding him, she could see it, she could feel it, and still, she was convinced that she was alone.

Her heart was breaking and each piece was falling slowly, like petals in the wind, like the petals of the flower in Adrien’s analogy.

Marinette had been deprived of many opportunities in life and she had a small group of friends, but she was happy with what she had. She was alive, she could use magic and help others and she still had her family.

Everything was perfect in her life because she was safe. She felt curious about the outside world, but she preferred to be safe and then Adrien had appeared and given her a glimpse of how beautiful things could be outside her safe haven.

Going back to her dark and narrow vision and participation in the world was going to be a painful road.

Marinette looked at the sky, the full moon was coming, her powers would recharge and she was going to be vulnerable, it wasn’t safe for her to be emotionally unstable. Hopefully, she would fix things with Adrien after the exorcism, and she wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

She sighed, wishful thinking wasn't going to take her anywhere. She had no hope left because there were no more reasons to have it.

She thought she could change his mind but it had been useless. Adrien had put his mind onto something and he was headstrong, who knew he could be even more stubborn that she was.

After that, both perfect and completely disastrous, love making, she knew there was nothing she could do to fix it. And she cried with him because she finally understood, after tonight they would walk in different directions.

“Minou,” Marinette whispered on his ear.

He hummed, waiting for her to say what she needed to.

“In the next street you need to go left and we’ll see stairs, we need to go up. Luka’s house is up in the hill,”

“Have you ever been there?”

“No,” Marinette sighed, “I met Luka at _Saint Ana’s_ , his sister was the only person I cared to talk to, I met him through her and I’ll say I kind of dated him for a while, but nothing serious, since my life was a spinning wheel leading to disaster. We’ve been friends ever since…”

“Does he know?”

“Yes, he does,” Marinette nodded, “Juleka and he have visited me a few times. I’m not sure if she is going to be here today, I doubt it since all of us witches are in high demand,”

“So we trust him,”

“Very much,” Marinette answered, “I wouldn’t bring you here if I didn’t,”

“I suppose,” He answered, “But we’re close to Kertáh and you’re going to use magic. Is it really safe? Do we really trust him that much?”

“Yes, I would put my life on his hands,” Marinette said, a little bit offended, “I have five friends, Adrien, and one of them is the ghost of an old lady, and another is my mentor. I don’t have many people in my life outside of my family, so when I let someone in, is because I trust them a hundred percent,”

“That doesn’t make it any better,”  
“You’re doubting my judgment?”

“You let _me_ in,” He marked his words, “You’re too kind for your own good,”

“I have good judgment,” Marinette said back, angry, “You’re just too deep in your self-loathing to realize your worth,”  
He didn’t answer and Marinette couldn’t come up with anything else to talk about, so the silence that had been reigning between them in that five-hour trip, came back to take its throne.

Things would be different if she was just a normal witch, like any other out there she would have her shop or she would be working a small job in the Witch Court, maybe even teaching at _Saint Ana’s_! And she would have met Adrien in the same way she had but going to Luka would have been her first choice and then all the drama that was happening right now would be long over, she would have found a solution for it and they would be starting to live their happily ever after.

“Hey,” He whispered. Marinette’s heart somersaulted.

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been thinking…”

“About?” Marinette leaned forward, trying to find his sight, but his eyes were fixed on the upcoming stairs.

“If you are uh… you know,” Marinette nodded, “Does that make you royalty?”

“Yes, you could say that,” Marinette answered. She had a title, no one had ever used because she had never been officially presented, but she was technically Witch Royalty, “But, our royal system works differently to all the others. We’re not like Faes and Vampires, there’s no lineage, magic chooses us,”

“So, you really are a princess,” He huffed, “Life is cruel, Marinette,”

She didn’t ask for an explanation, she knew he wasn’t going to answer to whatever she said.

“Put me down, I can go up the steps by myself,”

The break of contact left a physical pain on Marinette’s heart. Once they reached the top of the stairs, Luka’s house was going to be in front of them and then they would only have a few more hours together.

He was really going to leave her, after all, he said and did, he really was giving up on them.

**xx**

There was no way they could have got lost, Luka’s house was impossible to miss.

The house in front of them was big and as eccentric as Marinette imagined a home owned by Luka would be. Still, he had taste and it was the kind of crazy that could be classified as art.

The house was tall and it looked like it was dancing, it was all curves, similar to a spiral staircase but in the shape of a building. It was colorful in shades of blue and black, and stars were painted with fairy dust. The house also had its own welcoming music, provided by a band of instruments that circled around the house.

Marinette looked at Chat from the corner of her eyes, waiting for some kind of reaction to the show in front of them, but he remained stoic.

The door suddenly opened and the tall and handsome warlock appeared under the shadows.

“Mari!” Luka exclaimed and start running to her.

She ran euphorically to meet him halfway. She threw herself at his arms, he caught her and spun her around.

“Oh, it’s been so long since I last saw you!” He said and pressed one kiss on each of her cheeks, “Your hair is longer, it suits you,”

“Thank you,” She said, brushing a piece of her dark hair behind her ear, “You look just the same, but also taller? How is that possible?”

“Maybe you just turned smaller,” He teased and she laughed enthusiastically.

She heard a fake cough coming behind her and she turned to see Chat staring at Luka with deadly eyes.

Marinette went back to him, bringing Luka with her.

“This is Adrien,” Marinette took his hand and pulled him closer,

“Oh, our victim,” Luka rubbed his hands together and smiled devilish.

“Don’t scare him,” Marinette slapped his shoulder.

“C’mon you tried to do one on him already, didn’t you? He knows the deal,” Luka laughed. He bounced forward and extended his hand to Adrien, “Luka Couffaine, pleased to meet you,”

“Hi,” Adrien said between clenched teeth. He did not accept his hand and avoided his gaze

“Don’t be rude,” Marinette muttered and let go of his hand, “He is angry with me, don’t take it personally,” She said to Luka.

“No problem,” Luka smiled at the boy, “I know exorcism can be a stressful situation, but don’t worry, if you relax and let things happen in their own course, it will pass fast. And some good music will help you out, it never fails,”

“Luka likes music very much, almost as much as I like clothes,”

“That’s a lot,” Adrien and Luka said at the same time. The later laughed, the first didn’t look amused.

“We should get in, I left Alya alone and I’m afraid of what that kitsune can do if she is not under supervision,” He gave an elegant twist and started walking to his house, “Follow me guys,”

Marinette kept her hand wrapped around Chat’s, since he wasn’t pushing her away she was going to take advantage of the situation and stay as close as she could.

“He is nice,” Chat said, kicking a pebble with his feet.

“He is and you’re being rude,”

“I’m sorry, jealousy is a hard emotion to control,”

“He doesn’t like me like that,” Marinette gasped. She didn’t like jealous people, she was less eager to help someone on her shop if they showed how jealousy guided their actions, so it was weird for her to feel a little bit happy with that sentence.

“Believe me I know, but I haven’t eaten and I’m quite territorial,” He chuckled, a pinch of irony on his laugh, “You’re not even mine,”

“ _I am_. Not like an object, you know that I know that you know that, but I am, you just don’t want me to be,”

“I do,”

“No you don’t, because if that was true you would be fighting for us, and the only thing you’re doing is breaking us apart, so no,” Marinette’s lips trembled, if she kept talking she was going to cry, “Let’s go inside and let’s finish this quickly,”

“As you wish, my lady,”  
**xx**

Luka was one of those warlocks that never touched the floor. He floated a few millimeters off the ground and pretended to walk, but he was actually levitating.

“Show off,” Marinette whispered and heard the giggle back. She smiled joyfully, it was nice to be around him, he always made her feel better.

“You guys!” Alya screamed and appeared behind them, hugging Marinette in the process. “Did you have a good trip?”  
“Yeah,” Marinette said, only half lying.

“Are you ready to be handsome again, cat-boy?” Alya asked, twirling in the air and getting close to Chat.

“The fastest this finishes the better,” He mumbled.

Marinette shot him a threat with her eyes. He smiled for half of a second and then came back to his emotionless semblance.

Marinette thought about all the heartbroken people she had welcomed in her shop, she wondered what they were doing and hoped that her charms and potions would have actually helped them to get back or get over their lovers, because this pain she was feeling was the most deadly venom she had ever felt running through her veins.

She knew he was trying to push her away. That he was doing his best to detach himself from her, but he was breaking her heart… just like he had warned her.

Marinette rubbed her temples. If she kept this sad show she was performing, she wasn’t going to give her best in the exorcism, and she had to be at her peak.

She had to focus on something else.

She walked down the corridor of the house, following Luka and hearing his chit-chat with Alya.

When they entered Luka’s studio, Marinette took in all the room. It was bigger than any room in her house, maybe even bigger than her dispatch, her workshop and her living room together, but it was hoarded with so many and different objects that it looked twice as small as it actually was.

All the walls had shelves on them, with books, ingredients for potions, minerals, and herbs. There was a big wooden table in the middle of the room with flasks of salt all around it, Luka’s grimoire in the middle of it.

Marinette sighed, she hadn’t seen her grimoire in years, but of what she remembered it was not a quarter the size of Luka’s.

Marinette felt Chat Noir’s hand brush against her. Surprised by the sudden act of tenderness, she turned to him, smiling against her own will, and immediately getting disappointed when she realized he had done it accidentally.

He stopped in the middle of the room and was looking at a fixed point in one of the shelves.

Marinette followed his sight and analyzed the object he was looking at.

“What are those?” Marinette pointed out at the strange bags. They weren’t made of paper or fabric, they were translucid and shining in red.

“Blood bags,” Luka said, as if was the most normal thing in the world.

“Why do you have blood?” Marinette grimaced disgustedly.

“For humans,” Luka said, “Sometimes demons get feisty and humans are not as strong as us or any other creature, so they get hurt and lose lots of blood. I keep them in case I need to make a transfusion,”

“What kind of material is that?” Marinette asked with curiosity.

“Nymph silk,” Luka leaned against the shelf and took one of the bags, throwing it at Marinette. “Its based on water so they keep the blood at the perfect temperature,”

“This is so crazy,” Marinette inspected the object, “Wait, how did you get the blood?”

“ _Donors_ ,” He shrugged. Marinette blinked “This is Myënt, Mari, _donors_ are not a rare thing,”

“That’s repulsive, _donors_ are so--” Marinette whispered and before she could continue, Chat left her side and went to the next room.

“What’s wrong with him?” Alya asked, puffing by her side.

“We’re having problems,” Marinette summarised it, she had no time to tell her all about the ugly parts.

“He is probably scared, M,” Alya rubbed her back in assurance, “He is going to be all over you once he is himself again,”

Marinette hugged herself.

No, that was not what it was going to happen. Once he was back to his usual shape, he was going to leave. She wasn’t even sure if he was going to say goodbye, he looked ready to escape once the process was over.

“Hey, M,” Luka called,

“Huh?”

“Did you meet another magic being?” He asked looking at her from head to toe.

“Yes! Tae Sik, a goblin! He was the nicest, he was the owner of the hostel we stayed at in Reen,” She smiled at the memory of her talk with the goblin, “Do I have residues of magic?”

“A little bit,” Luka nodded, “He put a protection spell on you, it’s washing off now that you have landed on a safe destination,  
“That’s really sweet of him,” Marinette said “But is weird… I couldn’t sense it on me,”  
“You're keeping your powers under lock, and your mind is not in them now,” Luka left an untold message on his words, but Marinette understood perfectly. He had also realized that something was going on between her and Adrien.

“Luka, I know I’m not good at exorcism, but when I tried to perform one the other day, it didn’t work, I used a lot of magic, it should have worked,”

“A lot of things can go wrong in an exorcism, Nette,” He squeezed her shoulder, “Those things happen to me too,”

“Tae Sik thought there could be dark magic involved,” She whispered, hoping Chat Noir wouldn’t hear.

“Oh, that’s possible,” Luka nodded. “It would explain why you were able to perform half of it and then it reversed,”

“Is there a way you can know if it’s black magic?” She asked. She did not want to go blind this time, she had made that mistake before and she had been frustrated for days. This exorcism had to go right, she had to bring Adrien back to who he was.

“Yeah,” He nodded, “Call your boyfriend, I don’t think he’ll hear me, he doesn’t seem to like me very much,”

“He is not usually like that, I promise,” But Marinette didn’t know if she was telling the truth anymore.

She went to call Adrien who was being bombarded by Alya with a thousand questions. He wasn’t answering them, but that didn’t make Alya stop.

She took him by his arm and obligate him to follow her. She didn’t felt like talking if she did she was sure she was going to break into tears.

She dragged him to the other room, an empty space with only a pentagram drawn on the floor and candles floating around.

Luka was in the middle, waiting for Marinette to take Chat.

“We’re doing this now?” Adrien asked her

“He has to check something first,” Marinette said back. “Luka, he is here,”

“Cool,” Luka nodded and clapped his hands, “Can you kneel here in the middle?”

“Sure,” Chat rolled his eyes.

Oh, she was so going to kill him after all this. Did he want to leave? Well, bad luck, he’ll have to hear her tantrum first, she really was about to lose it. Why was he acting so mean? He was crossing the line.

“Take this,” Luka threw a bottle at Chat’s hands. “It’ll numb you,”

“Alright,” Chat took off the cork with his teeth and then drank the liquid. He started coughing after gulping, “Ugh, this tastes horrible,”

“Marinette’s probably tasted like strawberries or maybe cherries,” Marinette nodded. Her numbing potions were made of cherries this season.  “Well, mine usually taste like candy but since you were being mean to my friend I decided to make it sour,”

Chat clicked his tongue, there were amusement and rage all over his face. It was an odd look on him.

“Are you ready?” Luka asked, looking down. The pride of the little triumph made his smile radiant.

“Yeah, just do it fast, please,”

Luka pressed his index and middle finger on top of his forehead and drew a circle with the ashes he had in a bag hanging off his belt. A bluish light sparkled in the shape of a sphere that started to grow and absorbed Chat.

Marinette stood close to the guys, ready to intervene if something happened to Adrien.  But quickly, the light died down and soon disappeared.

Luka opened his eyes and smiled.  
“There’s black magic involved, your goblin was right,” Luka said to Marinette, “Nothing we can’t handle, we only need mermaid tears,”

“Really? That simple?” Marinette followed him, giving little jumps as he opened one of the drawers on the desk in the other room.

“Yes, it will repel the dark magic enough time to let us perform the exorcism,”  
“Will it break the magic?” Chat said. He put one arm between Luka and Marinette and looked at the warlock.

“Depends on what you have on,” Luka said, an amused smile decorating his face.

“A ring, a very important ring that cannot be destroyed,” His tone of voice made it clear that the ring meant a lot to him.

Marinette touched the pendant of her necklace. Could it be that the ring was his mother’s too?

“It will “put it to sleep”,” Luka made the quotation marks in the air “Once the exorcism is over and you’re back to who you are, the ring will have its properties back,”

“Good,”

“What kind of ring is it?”  
“None of your business,” He hissed. Marinette hit him with her elbow. “It’s a family heirloom, and it protects me,”

“It’ll be fine,” Luka waved his hand, resting importance to the problem.

“You promise?” Marinette asked, starting to worry of how Adrien could react if the ring actually belonged to his mother and Luka made something to alter it.

“I promise, Mari,” He brushed one piece of her hair out of her face, “Are you ready to do this?”

“Yes,” Marinette said, but she really wanted to say no. This is how it ended, this was the moment that made the imminent separation real.

“Call your familiar, we’ll need them,”

xx

“I told you I didn’t like him,” Tikki whispered on her ear. “You should listen to me more often, Marinette,”

“Can we not, Tikki?” Marinette begged for her to stop, she had been trash talking Adrien the whole time she had been there as they waited for Luka to finish pouring the minerals and herbs around the pentagram.

“I only want the best for you, Marinette, and I can feel how broken your heart is. This has never happened to you, you’re supposed to be the one to fix other people’s hearts, not break yours,”

“Well, it happened and there’s nothing we can do about it,” She hissed, “Why don’t you go to play with Sass as we wait for this to be ready,”

“Are you kidding? I won’t leave you alone,” Tikki frowned, “You are in pain and he still has a weird energy around him, I think the demon who possessed him must be dangerous,”

“That warning would have come handy two weeks ago,”

“I told you!”  
“You say every energy is weird, Tikki, you’re bad at this and you know it,” Marinette giggled at Tikki’s shocked expression. “You know it is the truth,”

“How dare you,” Tikki turned to the other side, ignoring her. Marinette rolled her eyes.

“We are ready, Mari” Luka called, “Alya is already outside watching over the ley lines, so we can begin,”

Marinette stretched her arms and rolled her shoulders. This was it.

“I need you to pour the tears over him,” Luka pointed at Adrien, who was already sitting in the middle of the pentagram. His legs were crossed, he had his hand against his fist and he looked bored.

Marinette nodded and walked to him.

She squatted and flickered the bottle in front of him.

“We are ready to begin, but I need to pour this on you,”

“You’re not wearing white,” Adrien pointed out. Once again, he was ignoring what she said.

“We’ll be using our familiars, we don’t need to dress up because there’s no way we could impress them if we are using their own kind against them,” She explained, “Now let me put this on you,”

He nodded and closed his eyes.

Marinette opened the bottle and sprinkled the tears on his face, then his arms and hands and finally his neck.

Marinette stayed closed to him. He was still closing his eyes and waiting for her to finish. Marinette cupped his cheek and rubbed behind his ears. She pressed a peck on his lips, making him open his eyes on surprise.

“I love you,” She whispered and stood up. Turning around to give him her back before she could see his expression.

“Marinette,” Adrien called. Marinette stopped mid-walk but did not turn around, she just waited. “Next time, be more wary of who you invite into your heart,”

Marinette heard something cracking. She did not need to see to know that her emotions had made her magic act on her own and had probably broken one of Luka’s belongings.

She was angry at him for thinking of him in that way. Angry at her because she hadn’t been able to change that perspective, and once again angry at him because how could he think there’s going to be a "next time"? If this was falling in love she was not repeating the experience ever again.

Marinette heard in the distance how Luka was summoning his demon, Sass, to lend him his power, so she started to do the same with Tikki.

Once she was back in the valley, she was going to bake a thousand cookies for Tikki. She had neglected her for too long.

With Tikki inside her earrings and Luka already on his position, Marinette ran at the other side of the pentagram and put his hands in front of her, ready to start at Luka’s call.

“How are you feeling, M?” Luka asked from the other side.

“Fine,” She lied. For the propose they needed, she was fine, but actually, she just wanted to lie in bed and cry until she fell asleep.  

“Keep your magic on a ten, I’ll do the rest,”

“That’s unfair!”

“Marinette, your ten is like my ninety,” He chuckled, “Relax, we’ll do great, just follow my lead,”

Marinette nodded.

Luka opened his hands, creating the triangle shape they needed and Marinette followed.   

He started whispering the initial part of the ceremony, she didn't’ join him, this was his job.

She aligned the triangle on top of her heart and the rush of energy started tingling on her skin and closed her eyes before the pentagram illuminated.

It all happened in the same order as it always did.

The heat and the fire.

The swirling violent wind.

The radiating magic blooming from the ground, the intoxicating feeling of her own power.

The electric wave that started to fall in form of lightings.

“My name is Luka, Warlock of the Lost Souls,”

“My name is Marinette, Witch of Creation,” She said then, ready to join his chants.

“We talk to you, demon, and order you to follow our directions,” Marinette inhaled deeply, the flames must have already embraced Adrien, “We order you to go back from where you came from. We order you to leave this body that it’s not yours to possess. We order you to leave and let this soul at peace…”

The crackling sound of the fire was louder, the wind went wilder and Marinette knew it was time before Luka could tell her.

At the same time, they shouted with the same intense emotion, “ **_Release!_ ** ”

The flames turned hotter.

The wind turned into a tornado.

The lightings started shooting all around the pentagram.

The demon began to scream.

Marinette opened her eyes. All that had happened the past time was happening now, but it was time to see if they could succeed this time.

The creature came out of Adrien’s mouth, not as liquid matter like the last time, but as a dark smoke. It twisted around Adrien’s body, circling three times before it started spinning around above his head.

Something snapped in the air and Adrien’s body fell to the floor like a dead weight. The smoke around him started to disappear and the amorphous creature started to gain its real shape.

“It’s working!” Marinette shouted, her happiness starting to pour on her magic.

“Stay focused, Marinette!” Luka shouted back.

She nodded and closed her eyes. If she didn’t saw Adrien it was easier to maintain her attention on the spells.

Her hands started to shake, and she felt the flames going up her legs, but that didn’t stop her. They had to finish, they had to free Adrien.

A scream of agony echoed in the room. Marinette recognized that voice quite well. Her eyes snapped open and looked at the body convulsing in the middle of the pentagram.

“What’s happening?” Marinette asked, tears streaming down her face by seeing him suffer.

“We are almost over, focus!”

Marinette didn’t want to, she wanted to run and hug him but she had to, she had to stay there.

The green flames started to move away from the exterior of the pentagram to its center and wrapped around Adrien. He yelled, asking, no, begging for help.

She couldn’t give it to him, the flames had to go on their own.

“Help! _Marinette!_ ” He shouted and Marinette’s heart broke a little more.

“Possessed soul, possessed mind, set yourself free, come back to what you are!” Luka shouted.

The green flames turned red, they grew twice in size, they danced and enlarged and then with one snap of Luka’s fingers, they were gone.

Marinette broke the connection and her knees gave up.

“I’m finally free!” An unknown voice shouted.

Marinette looked up and saw the tiny black creature twirling in the air.

It was cut off quickly by Luka, who trapped him in a bubble. At first, it was transparent but it faded into shining grey, a prison of mercury. It was not going to be easy for him to get out of that prison.

“Luka,” She called him and pointed at Adrien’s body.

Luka nodded, and with one sign of his hand, he encouraged her to go.

Marinette crawled until she reached his body.

He was shivering and panting. Had the numbing potion not worked?

“Adrien, _kitty,_ She reached for his hand but he pulled away. She touched his back and made her way to his neck, rubbing his nape. “I’m here, it’s over, I’m here,”

“Marinette, go away,” He half stuttered the words.

“It’s fine, it worked, minou, it worked, we-” Marinette tried to turn his face, so he would look at her, but he flinched away.

“Back off!” Adrien shouted.

In an aggressive and swift move he pushed her aside with his arm, with so much strength she was thrown into the other side of the room.

Marinette hit the wall and fell to the floor.

She closed her eyes and arched in pain.

She pressed her hands against the floor and pushed herself back into her feet, going back to where Adrien was going into spasms.

Adrien was leaning to the front, touching the floor with his forehead. He was pulling his hair and gasping audibly.

“Adrien,” Marinette whispered, trying to go near him once again.

Adrien stood up and he was faster than he had ever been before, running away from her.

“Adrien!” She shouted.

She stood up and started chasing him.

“Marinette!” Luka called her but she didn’t stop, she had to know what was wrong.

Adrien was running around the room, throwing things off the shelves, like he was looking for something.

“Adrien!” Marinette called one more time. He ignored her again.

Bottles were crashed, potions were spilled and books were flying around. And then he stopped in front of a shelf, took something and ran to the other side of the room.

Marinette followed. Scared of touching him and being thrown away one more time, she only stood close to his body and took the sight of him.

Adrien was crooked, one hand holding the bookshelf, keeping his body straight and the other flexed as if he was covering his mouth.

“Adrien,” Marinette took one step forward.

He didn’t move, so she took it as a good sign. She took one more step, almost brushing his body with his.

“Adrien, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? If you want help, you need to tell me what’s wrong,”

“Marinette go away.” He sobbed.

“Look at me!” Marinette begged. And to not touch him, she ordered with magic to do so.

He refused, something she did not know he was capable of. But, he couldn’t refuse completely, his body still turned to her a little bit.

Marinette caught a glimpse of something strange.

She looked down, at his hand and saw that he was holding one of Luka’s blood bags.

She looked up, finding his face. He was frowning and his eyes… his eyes had red irises and black scleras. His fangs were dripping with blood, but it was different from the times she had seen him hunt, these were not cat-fangs, these were…

“You….” Marinette’s voice wavered.

“Marinette!” Alya shouted, she pulled her from her waist and dragged her away from him.

Luka stood in front of the girls and threw something from his hands, hitting Adrien with a stroke of blue light.

The monster fell to the floor, his eyes turned completely black, the veins going down his cheeks did too. He shook his body and looked up, straight to Marinette.

“No,” Alya whispered right beside Marinette who was about to lost her balance.

Luka clapped and threw more spells towards him.

A glimmering branch with thorns wrapped around his legs and arms, mimicking chains and a halo appeared on top of his head, forcing him to stay straight and look at them.

“I told you I was going to destroy you, princess,” He whispered, a dark shadow crossed his face.

“Did the King sent you?!” Luka shouted, stepping closer and looking down to him.

Marinette joggled her arm, and set herself free from Alya, running to Luka’s side. She took his hand and pulled him away from Adrien.

“No, he didn’t send him, “Marinette shook her head,  “He had no idea, this is a misunderstanding.”

“Marinette he is a vampire!” Luka shouted, thunderstruck by her behavior.

“No, he is Adrien,” Marinette shook her head. He couldn’t be anything but Adrien, only Adrien, the man she loved could not be a vampire, he could not be, this was a mistake, he was just Adrien.

“Marinette, he is a vampire,” Alya said, taking her by her shoulders, “He has the Kertáh look, M…  

“No, no, he can not… and if he… if he is… not all vampires are bad,” Marinette laughed maniacally “He is an exception,” She said to Alya and Luka and then turned to Adrien “You have to be! Tell them you’re an exception!”

“Marinette,” Adrien said his name with such a broken voice. A sad laugh came out of his lips.

“Tell them,” She begged as she pointed them out with her finger. Tears were dramatically falling from her eyes, just like cascades.

“Marinette, his ring,” Luka pointed out. He ordered for Adrien’s hand to move, making the ring more visible.

Adrien looked away, as Marinette leaned closer.

In the top of the purple marble, an “A” with a extremely particular typography was written in silver.

She had seen it before, she just couldn't remember where.

“Marinette, stay away,” Alya pulled her back.

But Marinette’s mind couldn’t grasp all the information.

She looked at Adrien, waiting for him to explain, waiting for him to give some sense to this disaster.

“Thank you for your service warlock,” He talked to Luka but gazed at Marinette, “I’m sure Kertáh will be pleased to hear you helped their Prince,”

Next thing she knew, there was rainstorm showering the room and Adrien was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i guess all of you had guessed what he was already, but marinette hadn't so a minute of silence for our heartbroken girl :(
> 
> see yall tomorrow!
> 
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	15. "don't leave me alone"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "don't leave me alone":  
> i don't know there's not much to say about this phrase, i think you all get the idea.

Marinette was still lying on the floor of the workshop, pressed against the cold wood and getting damp by the never-ending rainstorm she was creating.

Every time Alya or Luka had tried to approach her, the rain started to fall with more strength, and lightings obstructing their way, keeping them away from her, just as she wanted it.

She didn’t want to be comforted, she just wanted to understand what had just happened and if that meant to drown on her own sorrow, then that was the answer.

Her mind was trying to tie the loose knots together, find a clue that she had not seen before and figure out this mess. It wasn’t easy, and she was convinced that she was not good at this, because after all, she had been sharing her life with the son of her greatest nightmare for two weeks, and she hadn’t seen anything wrong with it.

Looking back, it was so obvious that he was a vampire. All his words, the strange situations, and the timing tied together perfectly, she had been too blind to see it before, but it was clear as water.

Marinette heard the distant fight between Alya and Luka.

Luka wanted to call the Court. Alya was convincing him to wait.

The Court, how could she forget about the Witch Court. They had been right next to her for so long, she remembered perfectly how they had become such an essential piece in her life.

**xx**

When Marinette was six years old she wanted to buy a golden spool of thread at the local market. Her mother had said no.

She cried all the way back home, but her mother didn’t change her mind. She entered the house and ran to her room and cried a few more minutes until her mother came back.

She was angry but also shocked. She dragged Marinette, who refused to leave her bed, to the kitchen and showed her what was happening.

The kitchen was filled with threads of gold, running around. Marinette had been so happy, she ran to her mother and hugged her, and then she saw the look in her eyes and started crying again.

The next day they took a train to _Ifyuru_ , the land of witches and where the Witch Court had its palace.

She had been so excited. She had only heard tales of the beauty of the witch capital, how it was decorated with flowers of every imaginable color, buildings made of crystal and marble that shone in warms colors when the sun hit and reflected the sky on nights of the moon.

And she had been invited to one of the most gorgeous buildings in the city, The Witch Court Palace. It was a building made of dreams.

Tall towers, twirling columns decorated with painted porcelain, pointy golden arches and crystal stained with different shapes and colors of magic every day.

She had categorized the day she visited it as one of the best of her life.

She had been wearing the most elegant dress she had ever worn, and she had been invited to a royal event. Nothing of sorts had happened after the late Queen had died.

Marinette was introduced to multiple people she didn’t care to remember and then she was taken to a private room, where the members of the Court had been waiting for her.

She didn’t say a word, her mother did all the talking. Then she was asked about what she could do, and she had shown them all her tricks.

They weren’t much alone, but the golden spool of thread story was enough to give more validation and was proof enough for them.  

No witch no matter how talented could make things appear out of thin air. Well, no witch but the Witch of Creation. And since Marinette could do that, there was no other explanation.

And all her life changed with just one snap.

Marinette had been so confused.

She had no idea how she had made the golden thread appear on her kitchen. She just wanted it so much that she wished she could have a limitless supply, and then it had happened. It took the agents of the Court, six days to stop the thread from appearing, and that had been enough for them to take their next move.

Marinette was ordered to leave her house, and start living in _Ifyuru,_ at the _Palais Royal de la Lune_ , and her training had started.

She had magic classes, she was taught etiquette and different languages. She was under custody the whole day, she couldn’t breathe without someone else knowing it.

Marinette started missing her home, she would send ten letters to her parents every week, and she would only get one in return. She was sure the palace stole all the others because there was no way her mother and her father wouldn’t respond to every single one she sent.

But she couldn’t escape, she couldn’t run away -and she tried-, she was stuck there.

It all turned into a constant, _Marinette do this, Marinette, do that, Marinette, don’t do this, Marinette, don’t do that_. Everything she did was controlled by the Court.

Marinette loved magic, but she would have loved it even more if she had a life outside of it.

Her mother would visit her every two weeks, and every time she was there, Marinette would cry. As loyal as she was to her family, to her magic, and to the Witch Court, she just wanted to be happy.

It took her mother some time, but she was able to convince the Witch Court to let Marinette go back home.

Her magic wasn’t developing as they wished for, and they blamed it on her emotional state. She was obviously depressed and needed her family, she was only a child.

She kept studying back at home, with the best private teachers anyone could have and her magic started to bloom into the most elegant and beautiful flower in the whole garden.

Marinette had studied hard and had done more than what they asked her for, in hope that they would let her do as she wanted to at some point.

But that time never came because Gabriel Agreste, King of Kertáh, decided to intertwine his plans with her.

And then the Court controlled her life even more than before.

The relocations started, the intense training that made her cry and wish she wouldn’t wake up, the forbidden levels of magic that she could never try to reach, the constant escaping, the constant nightmares, the constant incertitude.

Everything was controlled by the Court, because they couldn’t control the situation, so they had to try to do it by manipulating her life.

But then, like a miracle, they decided that their best choice was to keep her hidden and pretend they still had her, to cheat the game they have been constantly losing.

She was finally free, or as free as she could be.

And now everything was ruined because she welcomed a strange into her heart. Because she, as he had said, was too kind for her own good.

The Witch Court was never going to let her live this down. They would lock her, they would make sure no one could ever approach her and steal her power.

The life as she knew it was going to end, just because she was stupid enough to fall in love with the vampire prince.

He said he was going to destroy her, he said he was going to get her killed, he said every warning that he could think of and everything had turned to be true.

Marinette touched her neck and followed the shape of the necklace.

All the clues had been right there. How could she be so blind?

Marinette kept touching the necklace and she started laughing. She had a necklace in the shape of a drop of blood, and it never crossed her mind that he was a vampire! This was just the cherry on top, she really was stupid.

Marinette rolled on her back and looked at the clouds on top of her.

Alya had said that love made you stupid, but she didn’t fell in love with him at first sight, she fell in love once she got to know him.

One of Marinette’s talents was reading people, that was what kept her business going. So, if she saw a sweet and charming man, then that was what he really was.

But, what if he had compelled her? He could make her fall for him with his powers, if he was Gabriel’s son then he had to be powerful.

That was a possibility but she would be feeling different now, the exorcism’s magic would have broken the spell. She had performed two and she felt the same for him after those.

Marinette clicked her tongue. Something didn’t make sense.

Why would he warn her? Why would he cry? Why would he run away from her?

She could only think of one reason.

“He loves me,” Marinette gasped, realization hitting her chest like a stroke, “He actually, really, truly, loves me,”

The rain stopped falling and Marinette stood up.

She walked to the other room and stopped when she got in the middle of her friends.

“Marinette,” They both gasped and stared at her astonished.

“I figured it out,” Marinette whispered, breaking her silence. “It doesn’t make sense,”

“Well, thank you, that’s what I was saying,” Luka said, throwing his arms up exasperated.

“No, not you, I wasn’t listening,” Marinette said, “It just doesn’t make sense that he would be a spy or that the King send him to get me,”

“Marinette,” Her friends said at the unison with broken voices.

“No, hear me out,” Marinette cut, “He was running away from home, running away from his father and we met by accident, he pulled me out of the water! I wasn’t supposed to be there at all, but I was! And then I invited him home. He kept saying he should go, and I convinced him to stay every time, he warned me that I was going to hate him and I brushed it off. He was constantly warning me,”

“That could be his plan, to make you trust him,” Luka whispered. He gave her a soft look, Marinette knew he meant well, but she felt ridiculous, she felt like a mad case.

“No, you don’t get it,” Marinette shook her head, “He is kind and smart and sweet and… He is not like his father, he can’t be, he had no idea who I was,”

“I doubt he did not know it, M,” Alya said and looked at Luka, worried.

“He always put me first, he took care of me when he didn’t need to,” Marinette gasped, her back hurt where she had hit herself against the wall. The pain made her think of something she hadn’t before. “And just now! He hadn’t hunt, it wasn’t working… _oh, for Saint Ana!_  it wasn’t working because he is an Agreste! He can’t drink animal blood, they’re intolerant! So, when he came back to his real form, he needed blood!”

“He pushed you against a wall, Marinette,” Luka reminded her.

“So, he wouldn't’ bite her,” Alya huffed, surprised by the revelation.

“Yes! He kept telling me to stay away and I didn’t listen, he was keeping me away so he wouldn’t bite me!” Marinette pressed her hands against her cheeks, “Adrien loves me!”

“You think so because he made you believe that, Marinette,” Luka took her by her shoulders, “It could be a trap,”

“He. loves. me,” Marinette marked every word with scorching rage. “He is good, and he only pushed me away and ran because he loves me because he is scared that being near him could hurt me because _he loves me_!”

Marinette’s body was shaking and she was breathing harshly. She wouldn’t accept anything else, they couldn’t deny this, she knew him and this was the truth, it had to be.

“Okay, it is possible, Marinette,” Luka cupped her cheeks, “He could be good and he could be really in love with you, but the risk is too fucking high! What if he planned this? He planned to make you fall in love so deeply that you would come up with this crazy delusions, and then you would chase him and make his job to take you to Kertáh a thousand times easier,”

“He is right Marinette,” Alya whispered.

“You just agreed with me!”

“The two options are plausible!” The kitsune growled back.

“C’mon, Alya, don’t leave me alone in this!”

“Marinette you’re not in your right mind, you just went through an extremely traumatic situation,” Alya closed the distance between them, embracing her in a hug, “Luka is right, the risk is too high,”

“But he loves me, I’m sure,”

“No, Marinette, you’re sure _you_ love him,” Alya brushed her hair, an attempt to lower her anxiety levels, “I think you need to sleep, to think this through,”

“Alya,” Marinette sobbed, “Please,”  
“We’ll talk tomorrow I promise,” Alya patter her forehead two times and Marinette fainted. Luka caught her on his arms before she hit the ground.

**xx**

Adrien couldn’t believe he was going back to Kertáh, when he had been so eager to leave a month ago.

He planned to go back, just not so soon.

He had grown tired of waiting for his father’s politics to change that he had orchestrated a plan to go look for answers. One day he was going to be King and he wanted to have a full perspective of the land he was supposed to reign.

He had escaped a few times and disguised himself as a normal citizen and that’s how he found out how bad the relationships with the other kingdoms were.

He had been devastated when he found out how much other creatures hate vampires, how scared they were from them and all of that was his father’s fault, in the way he commanded the kingdom.

He was going to change that, and so he embarked in his journey. Which he kept a secret even from his best friends. It was better if they didn’t know a thing, especially Nino, he was always taking the blame of all his problems, it was for the best if he was kept in the dark.

It was a euphemism to say that things had not gone as he planned them.

First, he didn’t plan to be caught so early on, but after two days he had a bunch of knights looking for him.

Then he was tricked by a demon and possessed, turning into a werecat, which difficulted his journey even more, since he couldn’t go to other cities and see how they worked under their reigns and laws.

After that, there was the wendigo and he really didn’t want to remember that incident that had almost cost him his life, but as bad as the wendigo was, it hadn’t messed up his plan like saving the witch from drowning had.

Because he knew he could fail, he knew he could stumble with obstacles on his journey, but he never thought he was going to fall in love.

Falling in love was _not_ part of the plan at all.

But it had been so easy, he had been swept off his feet almost instantly and then it was the only thing that he could think of. Being with Marinette turned in his only desire.

From the very beginning, he knew it was wrong but, locked in the palace, he never got the chance to really fall in love. He had done his best work to fall for his fiancé, Kagami Tsurugi, but it hadn’t worked, the only thing they could ever be was friends.

With Marinette he didn’t have to try, he just fell and when he realized what was going on, he was too deep, it was impossible to escape.

But leave it to him to ruin it, to ruin Marinette, just like he predicted.

It hurt, but it was better this way. With him out of her life, Marinette would keep living her peaceful little life at her loved valley. And maybe, if his plans worked out then she would be able to leave if she wished to.

Adrien had never been more bloodthirsty than the morning Marinette revealed her past. When he promised her to kill them all, he meant it.

The merciful king he wanted to be would have to wait, the first thing he was doing back at the palace was tracking down all and every single person involved in her chase.

He couldn’t wait to see Nathalie, he had already in mind twenty ways to make her suffer. Who cared how much she cared about him, he knew her antics, and if his father had sent her to pursue Marinette, he knew it hadn’t been pretty. Marinette had implied it, she was lucky to be alive after having an encounter with her, and he knew that was the whole truth, she had only been lucky.

He wondered how she was doing. He hoped Alya and Luka were comforting her and filling her mind with as much hate against him they could.

The look on her face when he said who he was, he would never forget. It was there in the back of his mind and it would haunt him on his darkest nights.

How her beautiful and sweet face could show so much pain was a mystery, and to know he had been the cause of it made him nauseous.

Adrien’s heart contracted and it hurt a bit.

At first, he thought it was because of the memory of his Marinette but then, remembering he had compelled himself to have his emotions on their lowest level, he realized it was an actual physical reaction.

Adrien stopped and pressed one hand against his heart. It was jolting like crazy, like he had been running for an hour or if he had been startled.

“Don’t worry it’ll pass it’s just a side effect,” Adrien jumped back. Okay, now he was startled, now the fast beating heart made sense.

Adrien looked around but there was no one close. He narrowed his eyes and focused on the shapes around him, trying to find the culprit.

“You never going to find me if you don’t look up, kid,”

And so he did, and right on top of him, the little demon that had tricked him weeks ago was circling around the air.

“What?! I saw how they caught you!”

“Oh, that weak mercury jail, it took me two seconds two escape from there. I don’t think they’ve noticed yet, it is chaos there,”

Adrien gave the demon a dirty look. He was the cause of all his problems, if he had never possessed him then he would have never encountered the wendigo so easily, and without the wendigo chasing after him he would have never ended up at the valley and he would have never met Marinette, she would be safe and he would still be visiting different lands and getting all the information he could to make a good kingdom flourish.

“Don’t look at me like that! Didn’t you have fun?”

“You tricked me and then turned me into a cat because you failed to possess me in the “right way” I’m gonna look at you, however, I want to,”

“You make it sound like it was all horrible!”

“Just go away! Why are you even here? If you think I’m going to fall twice, you’re wrong. I’m naïve, not stupid,”

“Well I don’t have anywhere to go, and I’m still hungry. Are you still rich?”

“How do you even know that?” Adrien asked

“I saw you leaving the palace and followed you to the woods, I was hungry and you were a good option,”

“You possessed me because you were _hungry_?” Adrien took the demon by his body and squished, “You turned me into a cat because you were hungry?!”

“I don’t get why you’re so angry, it didn't’ stop you from anything!” The demon went through his hand and flew around, “I got you a cute girlfriend,”

“She is not my girlfriend….anymore,”

“Well, that was not my fault, you were all lovey-dovey until you started worrying about your “true self”,”

“Damn how much did you see?”

“I was possessing you, I saw everything. I think you owe me big time, vampire prince, ”The creature laughed, “I could go out there gossipping about how the prince likes to--

“Ah!” He cut, “I have no idea what you were going to say, but whatever it was I don’t want to hear it. If I give you food, will you shut up?”  
“Yes,” He nodded.

“Good,” Adrien sighed.

He analyzed the little cat demon in front of him. He sighed, he was kind of right, if it wasn’t for him, Marinette would have never loved him. She would have run away immediately.

“Hey, so you escaped when I did or…”  
“A bit later,” The demon nodded.

“How was she?” Adrien’s voice broke. It was a stupid question, he knew, but he had to know about her. He couldn’t stop thinking about her.

“ _Miss creation?_ Oh, she was crying on the floor when I left,” He said like it was nothing, “It was still raining, you did well by leaving, it was all wet and sad, very dramatic if you ask for my opinion,”

“I broke her heart,” Adrien looked down.

“Hey, hey, it’s not so terrible! You did it because you loved her, that’s noble,”

“Are you trying to comfort me?” Adrien rose a brow, a pinch of amusement clashed with his sadness.

“I’m just securing my food, kid,”

“Then follow me, we have a long way to go,”

“And you’re going to walk all the way home in torn short pants?”

Adrien looked down. He was still very naked from the waist up, but he really had not been thinking about looking for clothes, the only thing he wanted was to be as far from Marinette so she would be safe and as close to Kertáh so he would start his killing spree.

“Uh, a change of clothes wouldn’t be so bad, thanks to pointing it out… uh….”

“Plagg,”

“ _Plagg_ ,” Adrien repeated. “Thank you, Plagg,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay this chapter is pretty chill but it's a transitioning chapter, we need the little details to move forward. and we can't break them all at once, things need to move at their own pace. :)))  
> also adrien's pov!!! yay!!!  
> and plagg, finally!!  
> and woaah chapter 15 we're half way there!! which means is time for me to go look for clothes because in my mind vampire adrien looks hella good!! tbh a high end fashion picture inspired this whole fic bc i was like: oh adrien in that, and bang! i created a story lol  
> well by im sleep deprived, this fic and school are testing my sanity lol  
> all the love!!!  
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	16. scary stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> scary stories: a story in which the focus is on creating a feeling of fear. Such tales are of ancient origin and form a substantial part of the body of folk literature
> 
> i'm not even gonna pretend that i followed the prompt lol

 

Adrien looked at his reflection on the windows of the coffee shop he was at and did his best to fix his hair. Maybe if he arranged his bangs well, no one would recognize him. 

Usually, when he went in disguise he would take a potion or bite a few magical dragees to change the color of his hair and eyes. 

Right now the only thing that was making him pass as a commoner were his clothes. 

He had sneaked out in the closest hotel he could find in Myënt, took a shower in one of the rooms and stole the clothes he needed before continuing

He looked at the tea in front of him. Cinnamon, vanilla, and sprinkles of goblin’s smoke. The café called it  _ Daydream tea _ , in his mind, it would always be Marinette’s favorite tea. 

“I’ve never seen anyone depressed while looking at food, you sure are strange,” Plagg whispered on his ear. 

He was floating around him and eating a piece of the cheesecake Adrien had ordered. 

“I’m just thinking,” He answered between his teeth. Only he could see Plagg and if he started talking to the air, people would notice him, and that was the last thing he wanted. 

“You should eat, you barely ate when I was possessing you,”

“I couldn’t eat,” Adrien reminded him.

“Well, actually you could have. I’m sorry, just everything you tried to eat was disgusting, so I stopped you,”

Adrien choked on his tea. He could have eaten? He had to eat raw meat because that little -extremely annoying- demon did not like what he was eating? 

“You’re a pestilence,” Adrien growled. 

Adrien took his teacup and sipped one more time. 

“Marinette’s tea is better,” He whispered disappointed. He had the feeling that he was going to hear himself say that phrase a lot. “It doesn’t smell like Marinette’s did, either,”

Plagg answered something but a couple of waiters passed by talking and he wasn’t able to hear him well. 

He turned his body to the wall and picked up the newspaper on the front chair, he opened it up and hid behind it. 

It had been a long time since he read the news. 

The articles talked about a few upcoming festivities, the report of deaths -longer than any other he had seen in Kertáh-, a few little incidents in other provinces, the weather, and then he saw it. 

Myënt was one of the cities under the Witch’s Kingdom legislation, and the closest to the border with Kertáh, it wasn’t strange for them to publish articles about the tension between the Witches’ Kingdom in _ Ifyuru _ and the vampire’s nation, _ Kertáh _ . _ Kertáh _ newspapers also did a few pieces on the issue, but they weren’t like this one. 

The article talked about all the shady business that was going under King Gabriel’s reign, how drastically it had changed since he lost Queen Emilie and how because of that, the other kingdoms had lost all hope on The Accords. 

Adrien crumbled the paper, doing his best to stay calm and not focus the attention on him. 

He knew things were bad, but he always thought his father was trying to make it better. Adrien doubted his last political moves, but refusing to sign The Accords? That was intolerable.

His instinct had been right, his desire to change their kingdom was well oriented. 

Adrien suddenly felt nauseous. He put the newspaper down and drank a little more of his tea. 

He put the cup down and something caught his attention. The borders of the porcelain cup were stained with a thin blue line. 

Adrien touched his mouth immediately and cleaned any residue from his lips, then he looked at his fingers and saw the same blue color. 

Adrien stood up, almost losing his balance. 

He searched with his sight the sign to the bathroom. He needed to get there and puke and get rid of whatever they had put on his cup. 

How did they recognize him so fast? 

He saw the sign and started walking, fast but not fast enough to looks suspicious.

Adrien made it to the hallway. 

He hit the wall and used it as support, to keep walking, to get out of there before something else happened. 

This wasn’t compelling, no one could compel him, he was too powerful but he was susceptible to potions, and he had a strong feeling that he had just been tricked into the drink a tea full of liquid magic. 

This had to a doing of the Witch Court. 

He had been fearing their imminent appearance. It was only obvious that Marinette would call for reinforcement. The son of the man who had tried to capture her for so many years knew about her, that meant Marinette was in danger. 

One part of him was happy that Marinette was taking care of herself and that she had realized the potential risk he was. The other part was falling into a depressive spiral of emotions because that meant that Marinette believed he was a traitor and that he had lied about his love. 

Adrien breathing started to slow down exponentially and his limbs gave up, falling to the floor. He tried to crawl, to drag his body through the tiles but his body didn’t respond. 

He heard a group of footsteps approaching but he couldn’t see who these people were. 

His body completely shouted down and so did his mind. 

**xx**

Marinette was braiding her hair while drinking cherry lemonade. She was sitting on a blanket on Luka’s backyard, pretending she had changed her mind. 

She had convinced him to not call the Court yet, that she would do it when she was ready, but actually, she had no intention in contacting them. 

She didn’t think they could kill him if he was anyone else, any other  _ vampire _ , their most probable destiny would have been death, but Adrien has the heir to the crown, they couldn’t kill him, that would unleash the King’s rage. 

But they would do something, they would use Adrien somehow, and she wasn’t going to let that happen. 

Marinette growled and dropped to the flour. Of all the people in the world, she had to fall in love with Adrien. Forbidden love at its finest, Marinette would have laughed if this were not happening to her. 

Marinette sighed. She had to act fast.

She was sure he wasn’t going to sell her out, so if it was only because of Adrien, she would have enough time to create a plan, an excuse, and a way that would allow them to be together, but Alya and Luka were not going to let go this so easily, so she had to make a move. 

She took one look at the inside of her bag, mentally checking all the items inside. She had enough clothes and money for a four-day trip, and that was more than what she needed. 

She closed the bag and secured it over her shoulder. 

Marinette drank the last sip of her glass, leaving behind a few drops that she threw on her hand, and stood up.

She looked back at the house. No signs or Luka or Alya, they’ve finally decided to leave her alone.

Marinette intertwined her hands and blew on them, the cherry of the lemonade would work great for her spell.

Sparkles started to fly around, coming from her heart, they circled in front of her and took the shape of a compass. 

“Take me to him,” She whispered and the needle of the compass began to move. 

It took it a few minutes until it stopped and pointed west. A pink string materialized and drew a path for her to follow.  And Marinette ran behind it. 

**xx**

One minute or peace, that’s all he asked for, and that’s all he couldn’t get. 

Before Adrien opened his eyes, he felt the chains around his arms and because of the scorching sensation they were giving against his skin, he knew they were soaked in verbena. 

That wouldn’t hold him for a long time, but when he opened his eyes, he pretended to be weaker than he actually was at the moment. 

A group of three people was standing in front of him, but not looking at him. They seemed to be discussing some important subjects. 

Adrien was not in the mood to get kidnapped. He had important businesses to attend back at home.   
“Hey,” He called, making them turn around. 

The redhead looked down at him. He slumped his shoulders and then poked the pink haired girl and pointed at him.

“Are you Prince Adrien?” The girl asked. So, no running around the bush, uh?

“No, yes, depends on who asks,” Adrien clicked his tongue and then gave a big toothy smile, showing off his fangs. 

“We’re the rebel band, the opposition, we don’t have a name yet,” The redhead said. The girl hit him with her elbow. “Just answer the question,”

“I have the feeling you already know the answer to that since you put poison in my tea,” Adrien smiled amusedly. 

“Can we kick that smug smile out of his face?” The other boy said. He had short but spiky hair, and he was for sure a vampire. 

“You’re gonna kick your prince? Ouch, and here I thought I was well liked,” 

“You’re in chains with verbena, if I was on your position I wouldn’t act so confident, prince,” The girl spat. Adrien could see that she was getting angry. 

But what he could do? He knew he could knock them down if he needed to, and he was so relieved that he had not been poisoned by the Witch Court that he may as well have fun. 

“I’m confident _all_ the time, it’s part of my charm,” He could hear Marinette’s voice, calling him a liar. “Listen I have things to do, so can we go over this quickly? I have a kingdom that I would like to run, ” _An existence to whine about, miss my girl, oh,_ _and a few people to kill._

“You know, I kinda like him,” The tall guy said, repriming his laugh. 

“A kingdom to run?” The girl asked, “Is your father abdicating?”

“I doubt he even knows the meaning of that word,” Adrien rolled his eyes.

The group frowned at him and turned around, creating a circle where they started discussing one more time. 

Adrien sighed. He jolted his wrists, the verbena was still burning. He wondered if the whole chains were infested on it, or if only the cuffs. If it was the latter, he could do something about it. 

Adrien followed the chains to the wall, he studied it and focused on his target. 

He was distracted by a dark blob that crossed his vision. 

Of course, the annoying demon was back. 

Plagg flew by his side and then down to his hands. He put up one of the little demon hands, whispered unintelligible words and then touched the chains. After he took off his hands, the chains started to rust, getting destroyed in a matter of seconds. 

Adrien opened his mouth in surprise. He was not so annoying after all. 

Adrien rubbed his wrist with his shirt, where his skin still burned. He stood up and walked to the side of the pink haired girl. 

He put his elbow on top of her shoulder and leaned to the side. 

“So, can I leave or are you guys too busy?”

The three screamed at the same time, taking one step back. 

“Hell, he really is as powerful as they say!” The redhead screamed. 

“Oh, you’ll make me blush!” Adrien waved one hand at him, 

“How did you do that?” 

“I have my ways,” Adrien spun on his heels, “So, can I go? Or you have a monologue rehearsed? I’m sorry I’m such a bad prisoner, this must be frustrating for you,”

Adrien gave a little bounce to the other side of the room like it was nothing. He had forgotten how easily and swiftly his moves actually were, and now he was utterly pleased with himself. 

“We heard you were missing,” The redhead explained, “But we thought you had escaped,”

“Stop talking Nathaniel!” The girl shouted, “We kidnapped you, in name of the opposition, to offer you a deal,”

“The opposition as in you three?” Adrien rose a brow.

“The opposition as more than seven hundred people in Kertáh that are against your father’s kingdom,” 

That was more people that he thought. 

Did his father know? And if he did, did he care? Seven hundred people was an important number. Of course, it didn’t compare to the total population of Kertáh but they hadn’t attacked or made any manifestations, they were huge if it was considered that they seemed to be recently new. 

“Why are you offering a deal to me?” Adrien asked. His interest was piqued. 

“We think you’re different,” The girl said. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave a few steps to the front, getting close to him. 

“We know you’re different, ”The tall boy said, “We had a few spies in the castle for a while, one of them was half wizard, he could use some tricks,”

“He happened to see one of your fights with your assessors, and kept it all in one crystal ball,” Nathaniel said, “We heard your whole discussions, you have really good arguments and had excellent plans,”

“Plans that could help Kertáh,” The girl added, “My name is Alix, I’m the leader of the south sector. We have been reuniting in Myënt because is safer and since we heard you had disappeared we have been looking for you,”

“Because you think I’m different?” Adrien asked, still wary about the situation. 

“Because we think you can help us, we think you are the right person to take the throne,” 

“You don’t know me at all,” 

“Maybe, but you are standing in front of us and talking, to us, the people who put poison on your tea and kidnapped you. You broke free of the chains and could easily snap our necks, but you’re just talking,” Alix said, a grin illuminated her face. 

“You’ve shown this type of behavior before since you were a little kid,” The boy said, “By the way, my name is Kim, it was my idea to put the poison in your tea,”

“Cool,” Adrien nodded, not sure if that was the answer he wanted, but giving it anyway. 

“You’ve also shown interest about The Accords,” Nathaniel added, “All of us in the rebellion think The Accords should be signed. It is not safe to be against the witches, they haven’t had a queen for a while, which means whoever is meant to the throne is a weapon that they can use against us,” Marinette was meant to the throne. Marinette was the future queen. And yes, Marinette would take them all down if she put her mind on it. 

“The fairies and the goblins are also a threat, they haven’t attacked because the witches haven’t and The Accords--

“I want to sign The Accords,” Adrien interrupted, “I want our nation and our race to be at peace. I want to show our real potential, who we really are, not this kingdom of fear my father and my antecessors have turned Kertáh into,”

Nathaniel gushed all his excitement in a very strangle ramble of words that Adrien didn’t care to pay attention to.

“You think our kingdom can flourish?”   
“In the right hands, with good organization and a few changes in our politics, yeah, I think Kertáh can find a new light,” Adrien said. 

He looked around for Plagg, wondering where he had gone. He was going to need that little power of his if he wanted to get away from there. 

“And how do you plan to take the throne?” Alix asked.

“I’m the heir,” Adrien shrugged.

“You said it yourself, your father won’t abdicate,” 

“I can do some changes as a prince,” 

“Not enough changes,” Kim said. 

“We think you could be a great king,” Nathaniel said, “Kertáh is traditional, they won’t choose anyone but someone from the Agreste lineage on the throne, so you have support. And us, the opposition, we think you could help us out, so we can help you too,”

“What do you mean?” Adrien narrowed his eyes. 

“We can help you take down the King,” Alix finally said, “Make a deal with us, promise to do some stuff when you’re king, give us your word and then we’ll help you take the throne,” 

Adrien looked at them for a few seconds, waiting for the joke to drop, but it never happened, this was real. 

These three were actually offering him a deal that would help him betray his father. 

Adrien wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He didn’t think he was capable of rebelling against him. 

Across the years he had become more independent, and had bent and broke a few rules imposed by him, but this was betrayal, this was a stab on the back. 

Was he really strong enough to do that?

He could see the damage his father left in the kingdom, he could see the hate on Alix’s eyes when he talked about Gabriel, and in Nathaniel and Kim, he saw fear. Because that was how it has, his father reigned to be fear and the people that hated him, only hated him because they couldn’t help but fear him. 

If Adrien became king, he was sure that he could change things. He could be a merciful king, he could change his nation for the better. He could do everything to help his nation shine. 

And if he did that, he could also follow his heart’s selfish wishes of giving Marinette the life she deserved. 

Taking down his father and firming The Accords would give safety to Marinette. 

It was not only the right thing to do for his kingdom, but it also matched with his personal wishes. 

Adrien took one look to the ring on his hand. He had always been proud of wearing the ring with the coat of arms engraved in silver, but since the moment Marinette told him she was being chased by his father, he felt nothing but shame. The only reason why he was still wearing it, it was because of its magical properties that allowed him to walk in the sun without burning. Also, because it had been radiating an strange energy after the exorcism and he was afraid something could happen if he took it off.

He twisted the ring around his finger, this ring didn’t mean anything to him anymore, but his relationship with his father did.

It wasn’t the best, maybe it wasn’t even good, but they loved each other and that had to count as something, right?

But loving him didn’t erase the fact that he was a bad king, that he was horrible when he wanted to be and that he only showed love when it was useful to him. Also, Adrien could not ever forgive him for what he had done to Marinette, for what he still wanted to do with her. 

So, yes he loved him, and his father loved him too, but that love was toxic and it was going to take the best of him. 

It was a hard decision but it was one that needed to be taken. 

“Tell me more about this deal,” He ordered, “Tell me how do you think to take down my father,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i missed a day, but i literally couldn't keep my eyes open yesterday, i had an anthropology test today and all the study ran me dry.  
> i'll call this transitioning chapter pt 2?? but there's also something super important?? but also these dorks are still apart and something i've been planning for a while is coming (im kinda excited about it)   
> and my usual speech of how i'm sleepy and that i'll fix the details that i missed in the first edit tomorrow, bc i've read this thing so many times that i can't see the mistakes, i need to sleep and then magically the next morning i see all of them jaja
> 
> also, thank you for all the love! it really warms my heart to see that you guys enjoy the story c: 
> 
> find me on tumblr: peterkavnsky x


	17. midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> midnight: twelve o'clock at night. the middle period of the night.
> 
> well, it's midnight in this chapter

Adrien followed Alix, Kim, and Nathaniel back to Kertáh. While they usually made their meetings in Myënt because it was safer, they had a central point in the vampire capital where they reunited, a well-hidden strategic point in the  _ Red Spiral Forest.  _

Adrien had already met a few of the people in charge. He could see how proud the trio that had kidnapped him was, their mission had been successful. 

After a ton of introductions and a little summary of what they wanted to do, Adrien had learned a few things about the opposition. 

One, it had been functioning for a year. 

Two, they usually met at Myënt because it was safer.

Three, they had been spying on him, the Tsurugi and the Lahiffe for a while now. They didn’t trust the Tsurugi. Adrien had to change that. 

Four, for some reason they thought the Bourgeois weren’t going to be a problem. Adrien was not so sure about that. He knew Chloé, she was…  _ complicated _ . 

Five, they had heard more conversations that he could imagine, and somehow, still backed him up a hundred percent. They really wanted them to be king because they believed he could do it. Adrien had never received so many compliments, or at least, not compliments that he cared about. 

Adrien heard all the plans they had and all the information of the other kingdoms they managed to recollect on their year of operations. He was mostly interested in what was going on in  _ Ifyuru.  _

“Nothing much happens on _ Ifyuru,  _ only that the new queen must be extremely powerful if they’re keeping her hidden, and a few months ago they changed their school laws, but that would be it,” Max said. He was the half-wizard Kim had talked about earlier. 

“There’s nothing against us?”

“No,” Max shook his head, “It’s been a few years since the last time they interacted directly with Kertáh, they’ve been keeping their defenses up, but they haven’t attacked or made any political moves against your reign,” 

Adrien melted down and pressed his head against the metal table were the endless papers and plans were spread. 

“May I ask why are you so interested in  _ Ifyuru _ , your highness?” 

“My father has a feud with the witches,” Adrien said vaguely, “And the Witch Court may track me down in a day or two,”

“Why?”

“Let’s say that I touched and broke something I should have never shown interest on,” Adrien said, “But I was madly interested and I, of course, ruined it,” 

“So The Court will come after you?” 

“Most likely,” Adrien nodded. They were probably relocating Marinette first, doing damage control over all he had messed up. 

“We’ll need to do something about that,” Max said and started whistling. 

In the middle of the room, a blue luminescence appeared.  

Adrien smiled, he had seen one of these before.

“An  _ Igigi _ !” 

“You know these creatures?” Max asked. 

“Yes, just recently my girl- so-someone I know caught one,” 

“They are hard to find,” Max said, “But they’re extremely useful. This little blob of light is the one who has been helping me out to spy on you,”

“Oh, so that’s how,” Adrien said, more impressed than annoyed, “I thought you had sent a familiar or something,”

“No, my familiar would never do that. The little demons are useless for that stuff. Also, because I’m only half warlock I can’t control him completely,”

“Really? I thought any witch or warlock could have one,”

“Anyone with magic running on their veins can make a pact with a demon and get powers from them, now the control over them depends on how powerful you actually are, it also plays a crucial point how willing the demon is about sharing his powers. You could have one percent of magic in your blood and if the demon is willing to share, they will,”

“That’s amazing, but how does that work? Wouldn’t they possess you?”

“No, not at all. Demons attach themselves to significant or useful objects of their masters,” Max explained and took the brooch on his jacket, “Mine is here, I didn’t choose it, the demon did, I wanted to be on my shoelaces, but he didn’t like it. More powerful witches can obligate them to stay in the object they want to,”

“That’s interesting,” Adrien remembered Marinette’s earrings, he wondered why he chose that as her object, “Do all witches and warlocks need familiars? If you’re powerful enough by yourself, why would you have one?”

“Not all of us need one, but it makes things easier. Contrary to what you may believe, prince, the powerful witches are the ones that need demons the most,” Max took a paper and started doodling, “We can get high on our magic, we need something to keep us stable or we will drown ourselves and we will die. The more power you have, the easier it is, that’s why powerful witches need more training than anyone else. That’s why I think they are keeping the future queen under lock and key because she needs a progressive training, it’s delicate, too much magic and she ends up dead,”

Adrien’s heart stopped. “How long do you think the queen should train?” 

“The last queen was under training for twelve years and as you may know she was killed by her own magic,” 

Twelve years and she still died because she wasn’t able to stabilize her magic. Marinette had only trained for eight because Gabriel had started chasing her. 

Marinette not only couldn’t use her magic because Gabriel could find her, but she also couldn’t use it because she could die. And all of it was because his father had some sick plan on his mind that involved draining Marinette of her blood and soul. 

If he wasn’t sure before, he was sure now. His father was going down. 

Adrien took one paper on the table and crumbled it with all his strength, channeling his frustration there. 

“So, uh, can I ask you something personal?” Adrien said. An idea that had been bothering him for a while came back to him.

“Sure, your highness,” Max nodded. 

“You know? You don’t have to call me that, we’re all friends here or at least colleagues?” 

“I wouldn't feel comfortable not using your title, but if you insist…”   
“No, no, then keep it, it’s fine, everyone calls me that” Adrien laughed nervously, “So, back to the question,”

“Back to the question,” Max nodded.

“You’re a half wizard… that is extremely rare, I don’t think I’ve heard it before”

“It is,” Max nodded, “My mom is a vampire, turned not born, and my father is a wizard. They fell in love without knowing what the other was and then they revealed their race. That didn’t stop their love, so here I am,”

“So, those things actually happen? Witches and vampires getting together… are they… still together?”

Max nodded again, one amused smile lifted the corners of his lips. “Your Highness, I’m well aware you’re engaged so forgive me if I cross a line, but could you be interested in a witch?”

“No,” Adrien cut and stood up from the table, “Thank you for this talk, it was enlightening but I think it’s time for me to go back to the palace,” 

“I’ll show you the way,” Max nodded. 

Adrien followed the half-blood to the central hallway of the building. More people were around than when he first entered and all of them were looking at him with eyes as wide as plates. 

Adrien gave little bows with his head in form of greeting and all of them gave full on, 90 degrees bows back. That made him feel uncomfortable, it always did, but he just smiled back, keeping his prince personality out. 

Before leaving he said goodbye to Alix and Nathaniel. 

“Thank you for coming, Prince,” Nathaniel bowed. 

“Yes, you’ve been of great assistance,”

“I can say the same. I don’t want to thank you for poisoning me and kidnapping me, but something good came out of it so...,” Adrien laughed, they did too.

“Do you need someone to escort you back to the castle?” Alix asked. She was trying to keep a serious face but Adrien could tell she was repressing her laugh. 

“No, I know the way and I’m tougher than I look,” He turned around and walked to the door, waving back at them. 

“Oh!” Max exclaimed, “Your Highness, I almost forgot,”

Adrien stopped and waited for the running man. 

Max took a jingle ball out of his pocket and put it on Adrien’s hand. 

“If you need us you just have to shake it twice, we’ll know you’re in trouble and we’ll go find you,”

“Thank you,” Adrien closed his hand around it and saved it on his right pocket, “This is extremely useful,” 

He said goodbye one more time and he went out to the forest. 

Plagg flew from his pocket to the front of his face. 

“So, are we going back to your palace?”

“Apparently, because you’re following me everywhere, so yes, I guess  _ we _ are going back,”

“You’re mean! You’ll see, one day you’ll need me and then you won’t be so hostile towards me,”

“I doubt it,” 

xx

After the vampires attacked her for the first time, she was not able to talk about them without getting a panic attack for around four months. When that was over, her fear turned into curiosity and Marinette read a whole book about Kertáh. 

It had beautiful illustrations and detailed descriptions and thanks to it Marinette had imagined how the kingdom looked like. She also had a general idea of how the capital city, with the same names as the country, was, but she had never actually put a foot on Kertáh.

Until that night. 

The forests in Kertáh were different from the ones close to the valley or _ Ifyuru,  _ and they were definitely scarier. 

Nonetheless, she was happy Adrien had taken a long way back home, which meant she could still catch him without getting into the palace. If she didn’t catch him before he was back at the royal building, she was retreating and finding a new way to take her lover back. 

She crossed her fingers, begging for him to still be out there. 

The Red Spiral Forest was extremely confusing. The trees were all intertwined with each other and their red and orange leaves made it hard to see, it also gave the forest atmosphere and light an unsettling shade of red that it reminded her of blood. 

Marinette laughed, it was fitting for the vampire land. 

Marinette was still following the pink thread but it had turned more difficult than at the beginning because of the weird shape of the trees. The forest was one big maze and that terrified her. 

Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea, she should have convinced Alya to come with her. As a kitsune, a citizen of the Spirit World, she could have guided her better because she could just go through the trees and find the best path. But Marinette was here alone. 

She wondered if Luka and her best friend had already called The Witch Court, it was probable, she had been for a couple of hours and they must have realized her plan. It was close to midnight, they must be worrying about her. 

The only reason why Alya couldn’t find her was that Marinette had left behind her bag of crystal balls. Inside of i,t there was a special one, one made by Alya herself and that granted her the power to track Marinette. 

Leaving it behind had been reasonable when she left, now she regretted it. 

Marinette wished she could call Tikki, to have some company but that would expose her as a witch and she couldn’t risk it. If she died, she would die as a weak human. 

Marinette was walking to the south of the forest when out of the blue, the compass and the magic thread changed directions.

“No, Adrien, stay still,” Marinette whispered but started running anyway. 

She drew away from the branches of the trees, ducked when it was necessary and avoided a few trees before getting stamped against them, but one bad step was enough to make her stop. 

Marinette tripped over a branch and rolled in the dirt. 

Marinette looked at the distance from where she lied and growled frustrated.

It was cold, she was alone and now she had dirt all over her face and clothes. 

She really wanted to see Adrien, kiss him and hug him, but he was going to have a word or two with him and let him know how easily things could have gone if he had stayed and talked!

Marinette kneeled and shook her dress, in an attempt to clean the dirt away. She slowly stood up because her knees hurt, it was most likely that she scratched them. 

Marinette couldn’t completely recover her balance and she was losing it again. 

She was thrown back, far away from where she first stood.

She hit the trunk of a tree and a sword was pressed against her neck, close to her carotid. 

Marinette opened her eyes and saw her attacker. 

A slim and tall girl, with silky black hair and a look on her eyes as sharp as her sword. She was wearing a black romper and a white shirt underneath. It was an elegant outfit but it also looked extremely comfortable, like she was ready to go into battle anytime. 

“Where’s he?” She hissed, twisting the sword a bit.

Marinette’s heart started beating faster if the sword pierced through her skin, she was going to bleed, and if she bled she was not getting out of there alive. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Marinette shouted, her voice trembling. She put more fear into her voice than the one she was actually experiencing. 

The girl laughed, but she didn't’ look amused.

“Don’t lie to me, you won’t like how I’ll react,” 

“I really have no idea what you’re talking about! I’m only looking for my cat!” Marinette said.

“Oh, please, you smell like him! You smell so much like him that I thought we had found  _ him _ !” The sword pierced superficially, a tiny drop of blood rolled down her neck, “Your smell is sweet, but somehow you still mostly smell like him,”

“Please let me go, I really am just looking for my cat,” Marinette begged.

“Nino!” The girl shouted. She retired the sword for a second but before Marinette could move, the sword was back on her neck. 

Marinette felt so useless. The most powerful witch in the world and she could not do anything. If she had finished her training, if she had the chance to try her powers, to test their limits, maybe things would be different. Things were not like that which meant Marinette had no other choice but wait and not use her powers, the ones that could expose her and make the vampire King find her so easily, especially because she was in his lands. 

Marinette felt a hand on his neck, that disappeared rather quickly. 

“I told you it wasn’t him,” A voice behind her said and from the shadows, a handsome man with brown skin appeared. 

He made the girl in front of him look petite. He was fit and had broad shoulders, he stood there like he had all the confidence in the world. 

“She smells like him,” The girl hissed, “She won’t talk, says she is looking for her cat,”

“Oh, a liar, I don’t like those,” Nino scrunched his nose. If Marinette hadn’t been scared of him, she would have said it was cute. 

“I’m really just looking for my cat, please let me go, I need to find him before he leaves the forest,”  _ Or then it will be too late. _

They shared a look and laughed. 

“How stupid do you think we are?” The girl asked, looking down at her. 

“We are scaring her,” The man said, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “We promise we won’t drink your blood,”

Marinette’s fears had been confirmed. She was in front of a pair of vampires, she really couldn’t do anything about it. 

“You’re not of our taste,” The girl gave a threatening smile. “You smell  _ too _ sweet,”

“But, you’re totally Adrien’s taste and you smell like him, so I recommend you to stop lying and tell us where he is,” Nino, “You see, we are not as bad as the other people who are trying to find him so as a heartfelt advice, you better talk to us,”   
Adrien, they were looking for Adrien. 

But who were these people? Were they looking for Adrien because they cared about him or were they just another group trying to find the prince like the ones with the wendigo were?

They looked well dressed, too elegant and rich to be part of the knights or civilians hired to find him, they had to be from the palace. 

That didn’t change much, she still had to keep her mouth shut. 

“We are waiting, bluebell eyes,” Nino said, he was tapping his fingers against his arm. The look on his eyes was soft but he could see a ticking clock that would detonate his anger. 

“Ugh, I’m done let’s make her talk!” The girl said and pressed the sword, puncturing deeper, making more blood drop from her neck. 

Marinette shouted not because it hurt but because she couldn’t keep her cool anymore. Past memories were coming back to her mind, and they were enhancing her fear and her physical reactions to it. 

She started crying. She didn’t want to revive those old memories, she hadn’t been attacked in six years and she had done her best to forget it. 

“Kagami, stop, she won’t tell us anything if she’s frightened,” Nino said, his stand changed, he actually looked worried. 

“She won’t talk anyways,” Kagami sighed, and dropped the sword. 

Marinette fell, her back was still pressed to the tree and she was unable to move, she was terrified. 

“Let’s see if I can do something,” Nino kneeled down and reached for her. 

Marinette closed her eyes by instinct. He rubbed his thumb against her neck and then retreated. 

Marinette opened her eyes and saw how he lifted his hand toward his mouth, licking her blood. 

Marinette froze. 

It wasn’t enough blood to make a change of him, but still, no one was supposed to drink her blood. 

“Kagami you’re going to love this,” Nino wore the brightest smile.

“What?”

“Our Adrien is so smart!” 

Marinette’s stomach twisted at his words. 

_ Their Adrien? _ As in they were close to him? As in these could be people who were close to the man she loved. They were nothing like him! He wasn’t theirs, Adrien was hers and she was his, and that was it, no one else. 

“Can you say what you’re thinking, please? I really want to find Adrien and you’re only delaying us,”

“Adrien found a witch,” 

Marinette felt how the panic dropped to her stomach and how her heart contracted. 

No! How could he know? He couldn’t know just by drinking her blood, vampires were not so powerful! Vampires couldn’t know those sort of things!

Marinette started breathing heavily. She was doomed. 

“That bastard,” Kagami growled, “He could have warned us that he was going to look for one,” 

“Makes sense he didn’t tell us, it was dangerous we would have stopped him,” 

“Or maybe it is a surprise! Do you think she could be a wedding present? He kinda owes me,”   
“I’m his best friend, it would be for me if it was the case,”

“I’m his fiancé,”

“Pfft, that's only a fancy title,” 

_ “Fiancé? _ ” Marinette asked. She couldn’t believe she had said that out loud, but fiancé? Adrien was engaged? 

Marinette felt her blood boiling and she felt so, so stupid. She was panicking and this was what had taken her out of her trance?

But nothing made sense anymore, her way of thinking was all messed up. 

Adrien is a vampire? Sad, but she could work around that. 

Adrien is the Prince of Kertáh, son of the King, the same King that was hunting her? Tragic, it hurt, but she could turn a blind eye.

Adrien has a fiancé? She couldn't contain her rage. 

Love was the worst, it really pulverized every logical thought you could have. Of all the terrible secrets Adrien had kept, why was this the one that hurt the most?

“Look she talked,” Kagami said, finally a smile was drawn on her lips, “And what is that on her eyes?”

“Fear,” Nino answered, 

“No, you idiot, that’s jealousy,” Kagami took her sword and pointed towards Marinette, “I think our little witch has feelings for our prince,”

“That would be stupid,” 

“She smells like him, I’ll say a few days of Adrien’s compelling powers could do the trick,” 

“Makes sense,” 

“What are we going to do with you?” Kagami asked and swayed her sword, cutting through her skin from shoulder to shoulder. 

Marinette moaned in pain. 

Nino kneeled and reached for her neck one more time. He pressed his hand on her collarbones and water started coming out of his fingers. 

Kagami swayed her sword one more time, this time cutting her arm. 

She moved to the right and got ready to cut on her other arm.

Marinette sobbed. She was going to die here. 

She saw Kagami moving her word away, choosing her target and then Nino lifted his arm, stopping her.

“Kagami stop,” Nino said and kept his hand on her neck,

“Why? Adrien is not going to get mad at us if we drink before him,” She said, “And for how strong his smell is, I assure you he already drank,” 

“No, no,” Nino said and looked at Marinette with something new on his eyes. An emotion Marinette couldn’t recognize. 

He moved his hands and put away the scraps of fabric on her neck, revealing the necklace underneath. He touched the necklace and jet of water circled Marinette’s neck. 

The water glimmered and came back to Nino’s hands.

“Just leave it to Adrien to make things more complicated,” He sighed. “The man has to bring trouble everywhere he goes,” 

Marinette hissed. 

“What do you mean?” Kagami asked exasperatedly. 

“What I mean is that we need to leave this witch alone,”

“Are you insane?!”

Nino answered but his voice was too low and the new sounds in the forest overshadowed it. 

The sound of horses galloping was heard in the distance.

A cold breeze surrounded the air. And a melodic and chilling whistle cut midair. 

Kagami and Nino opened their eyes in fear. 

Marinette used that moment to escape. 

He kicked Nino away and jumped on her feet. 

She heard something break but she didn’t stop, she just ran away. 

“No! Stop!”

Marinette did not. She was bleeding, she scared and tired but she was not going to stop running. She had to get out of there and find Adrien before whatever, or whoever, that had scared the intimidating vampires could find  _ her _ . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nino and kagami are here!!! i really wanted to introduce them, especially nino, at first he was going to be in the story from like chapter 4 but then i made a decision in the story that changed his role :) 
> 
> anyone can guess who scared kagami and nino so much that they (accidentally) let mari go?  
> goodbye, thanks for all the love! 
> 
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	18. zombies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> zombies: a corpse said to be revived by witchcraft, especially in certain African and Caribbean religions
> 
>  
> 
> again, i might have twisted the plot a little bit c:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter took me some time, and when i finally was getting somewhere my (non) cousins appeared and then i left for the birthday of a friend, so yeah this one was the chapter that took me the longest time lol

Marinette was running out of breath.

Never in her life, she had run so fast and so intensely.

But if the vampires had been frightened of what was coming on their own lands, then her only option was to escape.

The forest was still confusing and frightening, but Marinette was not looking where she was going anymore, she was not trying to find her way back to Adrien, her only thought was to be as far away from the mystery force as she could.

Marinette felt cold and dizzy, she took one look at her arms and knew she couldn’t keep going without taking care of her wounds for much longer.

This was bad. This was terrible.

It was being found because of her blood or her magic.

Marinette bit her tongue.

There was only one option and it went against all the rules and prohibitions she had learned.

She looked around, searching for a good spot to hide.

The spiral trucks of the trees were taller in this area, they would work because there was nothing better.

Marinette stopped running and hid between a group of trees that were uncomfortably close, but that worked perfectly as a shelter.

Marinette kneeled down and opened her bag, she looked for the bottle of Yodo she always carried with her, she opened and squeezed a few drops on her index and middle finger.

She licked it and resisted the nauseating sensation of the taste, she hated that part but it was necessary, and then ran her fingers through the sword cut on her skin.

Tiny blobs of light emerged and brushed her skin, tying it back together and slowly fading as her skin was back together, and there was no more dropping.

Marinette repeated the process four times in each wound, so she wouldn’t leave a scar behind.

Marinette threw her head back and sighed.

The silence of the night calmed her a little bit, for a second the illusion that she had made it was soothing enough to let her feel at ease.

Marinette touched her neck, following the now non-existent path where the sword had swung first.

That girl had been extraordinarily strong and intimidating.

_Adrien’s fiancé._

Well, he did say he liked girls that could beat his ass.

But, a fiancé, really? After all, they had spent together, after his love confessions, he didn't’ consider necessary to tell her that he was engaged?

He even gave her his mother’s necklace!

The thought made Marinette notice the missing piece of jewelry.

“Oh, no,” Marinette touched her neck with both of her hands, only feeling her naked skin.

She had lost Adrien’s necklace.

Good thing she was going to kill him before she could kill her for losing it.

If he hadn’t come into her life, nothing of this would be happening!

She really considered that entering Kertáh and running around the woods was worth it if that meant finding Adrien! Where was her sense of survival? Nowhere to be found, apparently.

He would be mad to hear she was doing this. He thought he was unworthy of her love, he would get brain damage and a heart arrest once she related all that she was going through just to find him.

If she ever got to tell him, because there was a great probability that she would die tonight.

She had been lucky for years, she had been safe and remained hidden without anyone ever wondering who she was, without anyone doubting she was nothing more than what she claimed to be, it was only time for her luck to run out.

But, if she died tonight, she wouldn’t die wondering what her life could have been. She would die happy.

She would put aside the last day with Adrien, she would keep all the good memories.

The way he always looked so shy before he said something and she laughed, his devilish smirk, his corny words, their trip to Myënt, the day they spent together in _Reen_ and all the ways they showed each other how in love they were, even before Marinette realized it.

She would keep Alya’s funny jokes, her vibrant personality and her never-ending support; Luka’s positivity and his good advice; Juleka’s odd but lovely friendship; Mrs. Hälsa and Mrs. Bai love and company; and last but not least, all the love her parents had ever given her, all the late nights they spent awake trying to comfort her, all the letters they wrote to her but never reached her.

She would die knowing she was loved and that she had loved, and after years wondering if she ever could be more than just a prisoner of her own life, she finally realized that she had had it all, or at least what it mattered the most.

Marinette heard branches and leaves breaking, she looked at her left and saw the skeleton of a hound dog roaming.

Yes, this was it, this was her end.

The undead dog advanced towards her and sniffed her. It howled.

Marinette closed her eyes so harshly that she saw color specks.

“It’s fine, you’re fine, Marinette,” She whispered out loud but her mind disagreed.  

No, no, it wasn’t. It wasn’t fine at all.

She couldn’t die, there was so much more left to see and do.

She had never gone back to her home city, she had not seen her parents bakery in six years, she hadn’t had the pleasure to wake up to the smell of _Fairy Bread_ , and she missed it every day.  

She had never gone to the Spring Festival of Okyaou with Alya, she had never played Catch -the-hobgoblin with her, and she hadn’t eat Sweet Grass Cotton by the family of trolls Alya always talked about.

She had never visited Juleka and Luka’s hometown, and she promised she would go, she said she would accompany them on their trip across the rivers.

She had never been able to take Mrs. Bai back to her country, and help her cross the veil, as she always wished to do.

If she died tonight, she would never see her parents or Mrs. Hälsa again, and she needed to thank them for everything, make sure they were happy, give them back all she could, for keeping her safe and sane for such a long time.

If she died tonight she would never see Adrien again, and he would never know that she loved him, regardless of what he was and _who_ he was.

She couldn’t die tonight, she wasn’t going to die tonight.

Fuck The Witch Court orders, she was not going down without a fight. She was going to use her magic.

She had not trained her full potential but she was powerful, she could fight for her life, she could do her best to use her magic without going crazy.

This was a life or death situation, her life had to cooperate with her, she knew it had.

Marinette took a bottle of her bag and poured the liquid on her hands.

She was going to require help if she was going to do this, but calling Tikki seemed dangerous at the moment. She needed some time to get Tikki to possess the earrings and lend her powers, and those precious seconds could cause her death. So a potion would have to do.

She heard the horses approaching, the air was chilling and the whistle echoed on her ears.

Marinette stayed pressed to the tree trunk and waited if they found her she was going to be ready.

She heard the whispers of an army, finally stopping where she was.

“Here it is, General,” One man spoke. His voice was low, emotionless. He sounded tired.

“The prince scent is strong here but it’s mixed with someone else's,”

Marinette gulped.

Any moment now.

“Indeed,” A female, orotund voice replied. “And I’ve smelled that sweet scent before,”

The sound of a thunder rampaged through the night and then a lighting crash, directly into the tree Marinette was hiding behind.

The tree burned and Marinette jumped away before the rest of it fell over her.

She stood up and looked back to where the attack had come from, ready to attack and defend herself.

And then, she saw her.

Every memory of that night came back to her in a flash.

xx

_Marinette had never seen such a violent thunderstorm._

_It was beautiful but it made her miss home terribly._

_When she was little she would get scared with the sound of thunders and she would run to hide on her parent's bed._

_She was not scared now but she wished she could have her parents by her side._

_She twirled the pencil she was holding between her fingers and bit the end of it._

_It was time for her least favorite class of the day, of which she was the only student. No other witch out there was being educated to be the High-End Witch, most usually called, Witch Queen._

_Marinette huffed, she was only fourteen, being in a classroom at night waiting to learn lots of useless etiquette rules was not one of the things she wished she could be doing._

_There was not much she could be doing, her life was controlled by The Court, they didn’t grant her much time to do anything that she could be remotely interested in._

_The door of the classroom flung open, and her governess entered the room with five books in her hands._

_Marinette tugged her pigtails and growled._

_Of all the governess she had had before, this one was the most strict -and boring- to date._

_“What was that, your Highness?” The governess said._

_Marinette suppressed her passionate desire to scream._

_Why was so hard for this woman to call her by her name? She still didn’t have any of the duties of a princess, she was just Marinette. Whoever that was._

_“Nothing, governess,” Marinette answered and opened her notebook._

_Doodles took the place of the notes she should have been written. She knew it wasn’t right, that she should act according to her position, but for Saint Ana, she was only a teenager!_

_The memory of Saint Ana’s came back to her, she wished she could be there right now._

_Just when it was starting to feel like home, she was relocated._

_Maybe she should write a letter to Luka earlier this week. She missed him._

_“What if we take the class outside tonight?”_

_This was not coherent to who she was. Governess Mendeliev would never act so sweet._

_She gave one look at the window, it was still raining outside. Something was not quite right._

_Marinette lips quivered before answering. “It’s raining, we can stay here,”_

_“C’mon, your Highness, I know we’ll learn more if we go outside,”_

_Marinette stood up and ran._

_She had been through this before, she knew it was time to escape._

_The vampire King had compelled Governess Mendeliev this time, and it was the first time she was forbidden to use her powers against his, the only option left was to run._

_Marinette left her belongings behind and when she passed by the desk of the teacher, she threw a spell so the chair and the table would fly and attack her, that would give her some time._

_She tried to open the door but it was locked. Marinette jolted the knob a few times before figuring out it had blocked with magic._

_Marinette hit her hands against the door a few times, her hands tickling with pain in the process but finally making the door blow up._

_She jumped across the smoke and shattered wood, not caring about the future wounds she could have._

_She made it outside and ran to her left. She needed to find more teachers, they could help her._

_Marinette wasn’t sure if this was a bad time to use magic or if she was supposed to keep using it._

_The Witch Court had made it clear that she had to lower her levels, that if she used more power than necessary they would find her and then_ Ifyuru, _the Witch Nation, would lose their queen, and they couldn’t allow that._

_Her internal monologue, currently discussing the pros and cons of using magic in her situation was cut short when a hand wrapped around Marinette’s wrist._

_She looked back and saw governess Mendeliev. Her eyes were dead and her grasp was violent._

_This was definitive, she was being controlled._

_Marinette shook her arm and started running faster. She kicked back, pointing at the governess’ stomach._

_She hit as hard as she could and it proved to be effective. Mendeliev was taken back, let go of her hand and fell to the ground._

_Thanks, Juleka! She owed her one for that move._

_Marinette turned to the right, to the east wing of the building, closer to the rooms where the teachers stayed in._

_The candles were off. The only light in the hallway was the sudden lighting that struck every few seconds._

_Marinette wanted to scream and ask for help, but if she did it was going to be easier to find her, and she was certain that Mendeliev was not the only manipulated person in the building waiting to attack._

_Marinette looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of someone, but the halls of the Institut were empty, a rare occurrence at this time of the night since she had more knights taking care of her when all the other students went to their rooms._

_Marinette’s skin crawled._

_It was happening again but there was something new about it. The King had changed his tactics and she couldn’t predict what could happen next._

_Marinette kept running, she needed to find a safe place where to call Tikki and fly to the teacher’s rooms._

_Marinette gave long steps and put all her energy on her run, but her body had a limit and she was already pushing it._

_Marinette was close to the stairs when the windows burst._

_She lifted her arms and shield herself with them._

_The sudden force pushed her to the floor._

_Pieces of glass flew and encrusted on her arms, scratching her and making her bleed._

_Marinette started panting._

_All of this was new, all of this was on a whole other level to any other thing he had done before._

_Marinette put herself back on her feet, she ignored the pain and started running towards the stairs._

_She reached the first step but she couldn’t continue. She fell again by the sudden change of scenario she found._

_The floor crackled and the wood began to disintegrate, the stairs were destroyed by an invisible force. The wood twirled and the wind blew, creating a small tornado in front of her._

_Marinette crawled back._

_She couldn’t go down, and she couldn’t go back to the hallway. She jumped and ran up the stairs that still remained intact._

_The destructive energy followed her._

_Marinette’s debate of using or not her magic ended there._

_She reached for one of the crystals she had in her belt and pressed it between her hands. She blew a few times until it changed colors and when it was purple, Marinette threw it to the air and then caught it with a clap. The crystal turned into a sphere that grew twice her size, she jumped inside of it and snapped her fingers._

_She started floating fast, faster than her legs could ever._

_Marinette knew this wasn’t definitive, the sphere would fade at any moment, but for now, it was enough. It would buy her some seconds._

_As she went up and passed by the windows, she looked outside._

_The gardens were not empty like she expected, but she wasn’t happy to see what was there._

_An army of undead people was standing in line. Marinette felt like puking._

_A dark witch._

_She was being chased by a dark witch._

_The King had stepped up his game like never before._

_The sphere popped before she realized the charm had worn off. She fell and rolled on the floor, only stopping when she hit a wall._

_Marinette ignored the pain one more time, if she didn’t she was not getting off there alive. She dragged her body through the hallway, realizing she was in the last floor, her best choice was to get to the rooftop and fly from there with Tikki’s help._

_The door was so close and yet so far._

_Marinette kept going, but she cried as she did and said a few prayers, entrusting her parents, Luka and Juleka to_ Saint Ana’s _to take care of if she ever saw them again._

_She stood up with shaky knees, extended her arm as far as she could and pushed the door open._

_She fell again, but she landed under the arch of the door. Half inside, half outside, she was about to make it._

_Marinette crawled, pushing her body with the strength of her legs. Her arms hurt too much thanks to the pieces of glass that kept digging deeper on her skin._

_Creeping in the rooftop was easier, it was still raining and the floor was soaked, so Marinette was actually sliding._

_Marinette kept going, she had to keep going, she had to save herself, she had to survive, she had to!_

_A hand wrapped around her ankle and she lost all hope._

_The attacker turned her body around and kicked her stomach, just like Marinette had done with Mendeliev before._

_Marinette coughed, the pain was strong but she didn’t stop moving, she jolted and threw a thunderbolt charm at the assaulter, but they stopped it with their hand._

_Marinette blinked surprised. That wasn’t possible!_

_But actually, it was. If her training were up to date, nothing could be able to stop her, but she was delayed._

_Marinette narrowed her eyes, accommodating her sight so she could see her enemy._

_The stranger made it easier for her, she kneeled, one leg at each side of her body and wrapped her hands around her neck._

_And then she saw her._

_A woman,_ a dark witch _, just like she predicted._

_The woman was dressed in a slim but functional black armor, red lines were swirling around the side of her arms and legs. Her hair was tied in a bun, framing her face, a face that Marinette would never ever forget._

_She was expressionless, yet she managed to transmit so much._

_It was because of that feature that Marinette knew she was going to die._

_“The King is going to be very pleased to see you, sadly I don’t think you’ll be able to have the honor to see him,” The woman hissed. A malevolent smile decorated her lips._

_She choked her. Marinette wheezed._

_Marinette moved her hands enthusiastically, trying to come up with a spell on her own, but her magic didn’t react. She still couldn’t control speechless spells and charms, and with her constant relocations, she couldn’t keep a continual training on them, and that was essential for it._

_She was doomed._

_The woman stopped pressing so hard, only one hand stayed around her neck._

_She reached for something on her pocket and lifted a dagger that shined with the light of the thunderstorm._

_In one fast swing, she pierced through Marinette’s left arm, just centimeters above her shoulder._

_Marinette screamed in agony and she couldn’t stop screaming because a new dagger pierced through her body again, and again, and again._

_And when the woman put the last dagger, Marinette didn't’ have any energy left on her body to keep screaming._

_Five daggers on each leg, four on each arm and one on piercing through her heart._

_“Most powerful witch in the world?” The woman laughed hysterically, “A mission has never been so easy, I’m starting to wonder what kind of standard they have in Ifyuru,”_

_Marinette cried, she couldn’t answer because of that, there was too much sobbing, hiccuping and tears._

_She jolted, still trying to free herself but the ruthenium daggers kept her pinned to the floor._

_“Let’s finish this shall we, your Highness?” The way she said her title, it was obvious she was making fun of her. The woman snapped her fingers and the daggers moved, twisting and inflicting more damage that they initially had._

_Marinette kept her eyes on the ones on her arm, sending all her energy towards them, wishing for a miracle, wishing for her magic to act on her own as it had done a few times before._

_She saw how her blood was not dripping, instead, it was going up the daggers and filling the crystal handles._

_She was draining her. She was going to leave her dry and take the blood to the King._

_He had finally succeeded._

_“And the final touch,” The woman whispered._

_She stood up and opened her bag, taking a small leather box._

_Marinette coughed, she felt the dense consistency and the metallic flavor in her mouth before she spat the blood._

_Between the gloved fingers of the woman, a silver pearl shone under the moonlight and lightings._

_She put the silver pearl on top of her forehead and pushed._

_Marinette felt like she was getting split in a half._

_The scream that escaped from her mouth was inhuman._

_The smell of the rain, smoke and burnt wood reached Marinette and it became in her existence._

_She couldn’t feel anything anymore, her body had ceased to exist, she felt light like a feather ready to be blown by the wind._

_Images started to cross her divided mind, memories of a childhood that had been cut short and in the distance a set of scenarios she had never seen before. They were blurry and they melted with each other._

_She could recognize or pretend to recognize some figures._

_A fox, a ghost, a green-eyed cat._

_Diamonds, rubies, a crown dripping in blood._

_Then the images were not stuff, actually, the scenes weren’t images at all. She was feeling complex emotions that she couldn't describe, that she couldn’t remember to ever felt before in such ways._

_Love, betrayal, love again, peace and then nostalgia._

_Marinette felt how her body got further and further but somehow she regained the control of her fingers. A more powerful force was dragging her back._

_She heard a snap and she was able to open her eyes._

_Her attacker was still on top of her, but the pearl wasn’t touching her forehead anymore. The woman looked confused and afraid._

_Marinette didn’t know if she acted voluntarily or if her magic acted on her own, but that didn’t matter._

_An energy hit against all the daggers and burst the parts outside of Marinette’s body._

_The explosion pushed the woman away, and Marinette thanks to the magic she was getting high on was able to stand up without feeling any pain._

_Marinette’s body was weak but her magic was strong, and if it wasn’t for that she could have died there but her magic moved her._

_She ran to the closest edge of the rooftop and jumped._

_She only hoped the amount of magic the dark witch had used to try to take her soul had been enough to wake some people and that at least one of them would be on the garden and could catch her._

**xx**

After that jump, she had no memories of the night.

Marinette blinked a few times, going back to reality.

She was panting and shaking. Tears were rolling down her eyes.

“It’s so nice to see you again, your Highness,” Sancoeur whispered against her ear.

Marinette was not fast enough to react, her panic took the best of her.

And that made it really easy for Sancoeur to stab her with her dagger.

A dagger made of ruthenium, a witch biggest weakness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> but dude doesn't it fit with todays' episode ??? what a good one. 
> 
> no adrien this chapter :( i kinda miss him already, so does marinette but oh boy he has put her in trouble. 
> 
> thank you for reading!!!
> 
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	19. catacombs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> catacombs: an underground cemetery consisting of a subterranean gallery with recesses for tombs, as constructed by the ancient Romans.
> 
>  
> 
> hey there's a scene in the catacombs, yay!

Marinette immediately felt the effects of the dagger on her body, but this time she wasn’t going to let it take over her.

It was going to be hard, but she was going to fight.

Also, there had to be a way for her to take the dagger out of her body without doing more damage. If Sancoeur could use them without losing power herself, they had to count with a way that would do the trick.

Sancoeur was powerful, keen, and counted with all the training Marinette lacked, but Marinette was the Witch of Creation, she held the power to win over her, she just needed to use it. And of course, not kill herself in the process.

Marinette took advantage of the second Sancoeur looked away, the second where Sancoeur underestimated her, where she thought she was still the same scared fourteen-year-old.

Yes, she was scared, yes she was crying, and she was weak but she was not the same than that night, and she did not have the motivations or frustrations she had now.

Marinette shouted a high pitched scream that echoed through the whole forest.

The slayer smiled, pleased with her reaction, but Marinette smiled wider because she really had no idea what was about to come towards her.

The leaves of the trees fell and created a spiral that looked like flock ready to attack, and it did.

One leaf alone would have done no damage, but a thousand if not a million of them united were as sharp as a knife.

The leaves flew and brushed sharp and violent against Sancoeur, pushing her away from Marinette.

Marinette pushed her body up with her hands, putting in the back of her mind the pain she was feeling inflicted by the dagger.

Sancoeur would be busy for a few seconds so it was time to take care of her army.

They were already moving in her direction, but it didn’t matter how well Sancoeur’s spells were, how enhanced their reflexes were, she was better. She had to believe that she was.

Marinette ducked when one of them threw an arrow at her and avoided the others to come.

She smiled. This was going to be easy.

With one snap of her fingers, she kept the arrows floating in the air, cutting their path and turning them around, to the direction they were coming from.

Marinette extended her arms to the sides, then to the sky and finally in front of her body. The arrows followed her moves and with a new speed, they attacked their owners.

That would hurt some of them enough to not follow her, and it would distract the others so she could escape.

She started running, looking for temporary shelter where she could hide until she had a better strategy.

Marinette touched her right shoulder, where the dagger still was piercing through her body. It hurt more when she moved. She reached for the handle, in an attempt to take it out, but just a soft brush of the ruthenium details in the crystal and Marinette hissed in pain.

Marinette heard the hounds running behind her.

She looked from over her shoulder and smirked.

Marinette changed directions and got close to a few branches. She jumped and touched them with her palms.

The branches started to fall from the trees, blocking the path and falling on top of the dogs' bony structure.

Marinette ran and kept searching until she found a tree similar to the one where she had been hiding before, the only difference was that this one tied to other trees in a higher place.

Marinette jumped, she snapped her fingers and levitate herself on the air.

She reached for one of the tallest branches of the closest tree, wrapped one arm around it, and pulled herself up.

She stood on the branch, pressed against the truck and started whispering.

It was time to call for reinforcement.

She did the motions she always did to call Tikki but at a faster pace, there was no time to lose.

The moment the portal between dimensions opened, Marinette started whispering the possession spell. Tikki would be mad but she would understand once she possessed her that there was no time for greetings.

With Tikki helping her, she could do better.

She already had her wings and she started to fly away.

If she reached the treetops she could get more moonlight and she would be even more stable and powerful.

Marinette heard a chirping murmur at the distance.

She looked back and saw all the leaves that she had used to attack the dark with coming back from her.

She wasn’t fast enough and a few brushed against her legs, leaving cuts behind.

She clapped above her head and the remaining leaves lost the magic, slowly swaying back to the floor.

The leaves had been easy but now the hard part was about to come.

Dark witches couldn’t have familiars, demons were not willing to share their powers with someone who had corrupted the true essence of magic, so, Marinette would have not expected for a dark witch to follow her mid-air, but this was Sancoeur. She sure had a way to fly, she was beyond extraordinary.

Just as she predicted, the slayer appeared in front of her, throwing a blue lighting towards her.

Marinette dodged.

She pressed her hand's palm to palm and whirled them creation friction in her skin. She scuffed her right hand over her left and threw a ball of fire to Sancoeur, hitting her right in the left side of her face.

Marinette couldn’t help but laugh.

Just a little bit of revenge and it tasted so sweet.

Marinette kept throwing as many fireballs as she could and flying higher and higher as she did.

When she reached the top she took a big breath of air.

She was dizzy and she saw blurry in the corner of her eyes. But she was under the moonlight, that would lower down the effects of the ruthenium. It wouldn’t make them go away, but it was better than nothing.

Marinette was on alert but kept herself flying on the same spot. If she moved the moonlight wouldn’t hit her just right and she would take more time to obtain the power she needed.

Marinette put her hands up, reaching to the moon. The moonlight was starting to make an effect but it was too slow.

Marinette looked around, getting worried that Sancoeur hadn’t appeared yet, and saw in the distance the reflection of the silver light.

Water, probably a lake. That would work, that could save her.

Marinette changed directions and started flying to the lake.

A buzzing and high pitched sound alerted her that her enemy was back.

Sancoeur was behind her and lighting started to fall around Marinette.

Marinette blew over her hands and a shower of twirling dots that looked like fireflies circled the lightings, turning them into more fireflies.

The frustration scream that came out of the dark witch made Marinette proud.

Marinette made a cross with her thumbs and then pressed her hands against each other, leaving a little hole in between where she blew towards Sancoeur, creating a tornado.

That was the moment when Marinette felt something different that she had never felt before.

It was similar to the way she had felt with Adrien but distorted. Her heart felt warm and her hands were tingling.

The bewilderment of the situation made her lose the concentration and Sancoeur used that moment to attack.

She threw a silver weapon at her. Marinette wasn’t fast enough to dodge it.

A whip in the shape of a snake wrapped around her upper arm, sliding up her shoulder.

Marinette blasted fire from her palms. The flames joined the tornado in wild and uncontrollable swirls that barely reached Sancoeur, but did scare her so she backed away a little.

She felt her skin burning but that didn’t stop her. She would have to deal with that later, and she’ll have to add “fire-training” to her list of to-do things.

The intoxicating sensation was going up her spine and Marinette swore she started to see colors that didn’t belong in the sky or the forest.

That’s when it hit her. She was getting high on her magic.

She had never used this amount, she was never allowed to reach this level of power and she couldn’t control it.

Marinette decreased the intensity of her moves. If she kept it at this rate she was going to snap and kill herself before the slayer did.

She felt a little better after it and continued with her way to the lake.

Something went up again, but this time it was something material, not a feeling.

She saw her left arm, the snake was still going up.

Marinette shook her arms but the whip only strangled her more.

The head of the snake reached her neck and bit.

Marinette panted. It was not the pain of the bite what hurt, it was what the fake animal injected her.  

_Vampire venom._

This was bad.

If the ruthenium was making it hard to stay on her feet and use her power at the same time, this was the catalyst.

She didn’t know how the venom could affect Tikki. A little bit of demon blood ran on every vampire, so she hoped nothing bad would occur.

But, regardless the uncertainty, Marinette didn’t give up.

She was going to reach the lake, even if that was the last thing she did.

Marinette flew a little lower, skimming the treetops and making them grow in size behind her, so they would difficult Sancoeur’s path and she wouldn’t be able to follow her.

What she didn’t realize is that her enemy was no longer behind her and when Marinette saw Sancoeur’s face in front of her, the surprise made her stop for a second.

Sancoeur put one arm in front of her, the other was flexed to her back, she made a motion that imitated the throw of an arrow and in thin air, one materialized.  

The arrow landed on Marinette’s stomach, crossing from back to front.

 _Ruthenium,_ of course, like all her weapons. And just like the snake, it was soaked with venom.

Marinette started shaking, the anger she was feeling was overwhelming her and her magic started to act up again.

She saw the colors and felt that liquid pleasure. Her eyes quivered and she saw stars.

The little logic that was still present in her brain called her out.

Marinette had to stop her magic, a little more and she was going to explode. But first she had to make it to the lake, this could save her.

She stopped flying and made a free fall. She already knew where the lake was, she might as well use the trees to escape from Sancoeur.

But with all that ruthenium, venom and her drugged stated, Marinette was slow, and another arrow hit her, this time in one of her wings.

She couldn’t stop her and clashed against the ground. She rolled, leaves got caught on her hair and dirt on her mouth.

“Fuck,” She whispered. She couldn’t feel her arms, and that worried her more than the pain she was feeling on her legs and hips.

She crawled, she pressed her hands on the ground and called for more fire.

It was weak but it started to burn, however it was too late.

She dug her hands in the earth and dragged her body. The lake had to be close.

Marinette started whispering a prayer, the one they taught her at _Saint Ana’s_ many years ago and only stopped at the middle when she realized that she actually didn’t believe a word it said.

She hated the Witch Court. Why would she have to believe what they believed?

She hated everything that they were and what they had done to her.

Who had considered that keeping her magic locked was a good idea? Who cared about relocating? Well, she did, but it was better than keeping her deprived of a correct magic training.

Did they really think they would triumph over Agreste on their own and then they would properly train her? Who came up with this plans anyway?

The fear of losing their new queen had been their fallout, and now they would going to have to face their biggest fear.

A metallic whip tangled her legs together and pulled her back.

The sound of the steps against the wet dirt made their way to her.

One dirty shoe was pressed against her cheek and made her look up.

“I must say you made it more entertaining this time, your Highness,” Sancoeur said, a little smile was leaking through all the emotionless semble.

“It’s not over,” Marinette promised it.

“For you, it is, for us… it is just the beginning,”

**xx**

 

Adrien ignored everyone that tried to talk to him as he entered the palace.

Their broody prince had come back to his place and every servant, knight or minister that was in his way to his room tried to caught his attention.

But he had no time.

He was letting them see him, so they would be aware that he was back and then they would tell his father, but that was it, he had stuff to do.

He only acknowledged his attendant, because he needed him.

“Theo,” Adrien called.

The man looked as happy as terrified.

“Your Highness, you’re finally back! We have been so worried about you,”

“Yeah, yeah,” Adrien waved his hand, showing his disinterest. “Where’s my father?”

“King Gabriel is in a meeting with the senators and ministers right now. They’re discussing the union with the Tsurugi,” He explained

Adrien growled.

“Do you want me to call him, your Highness? He will be happy to see you, I’m sure,” Adrien chuckled, actually amused by his comment.

“Nah,” Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose, “What about General Sancoeur?”  
“Out in a mission, your Highness,” The server said, “We’ll inform your father about your return immediately. Is there something you need?”  
“Send a donor to my room, make sure they fit my taste,” Adrien said, “I’ll take a bath and I hope for them to be there when I finish,”

“Yes, your Highness,” Theo bowed, “Anything else?”

“ _Veela cloud cake_ ,” Adrien said and started walking away.

He knew he was acting out of the norm, he didn’t need the concerned looks of his servants, but he really didn’t have time and he was so angry at his father and the whole system he had created that he had no energy or desire to be nice to anyone here.

Adrien made it to his room and pressed his back against the door, taking in the familiar place.

The indigo walls welcomed him once again. The white curtains were closed as he left them, in the middle of the room, against a wall with a big painting of a scene of a fairy legend, his bed was made with more pillows that he ever cared to use and a new set of satin sheets and a velvet quilt.

The table in the center of the room had fewer papers than when he left, and the white piano on the other side had new sheets on top of the music rack.

Everything was so clean and polish like it always had been. The room was probably the size of Marinette’s cottage and it was beautiful but it lacked what Marinette’s had. His room was soulless.

He rubbed his face, frustrated and started to undress, dropping his clothes as he made his way to the bathroom.

Seeing the white marble bathroom made him sigh. He missed Marinette’s cloud-like bathroom. No, actually he just missed Marinette.

He bet she was already at _Ifyuru_ and they had already decided where to hide her next. Hopefully, Luka and Alya were still with her and making her happy. Happy as he could never make her.

Adrien took a fast bath, washing away all the stress of his meeting with the opposition.

He looked around and wondered where his new company was. But Plagg was nowhere to be found.

When Adrien came back to his room, ready to get changed. A beautiful girl with brunette hair and green eyes was sitting on the bench a the edge of his bed.

She was wearing a black strapless dress, a staple between _donors_ because that exposed their necks.

“Woah, moving on from your witch already?” Oh, there he was. Annoying as always.

“You may not know this, but I kinda need blood to survive,”

“I don’t understand why you prefer that to the delicious cake they brought you,” Plagg said and Adrien noticed the crumbles and cream on his tiny lips.

“You ate my cake?”

“You weren’t here!” Plagg whined “Also, you have the pretty lady,”

“Blood is not food,” Adrien glared at him, “We as a race are cursed and we are dependent of blood, like a drug but it’s not food, it’s not delicious and it doesn’t give nutrients or anything. We drink blood because we are dependent, if we don’t drink it we go crazy,”

“Ah, good to know…” Plagg answered and flew away, to the table where there was still a little piece of cake left. “You can eat the rest,”

Adrien rolled his eyes and walked to his wardrobe.

He ignored the girl as he was getting dressed, not that she would do anything if he didn’t tell her to do it.

Back in his own clothes, Adrien finally felt like himself.

Velvet oversized blazer, white shirt, black skinny pants, and his combat boots. This was him.  

Marinette would love it.

Once the waters were calm, he was going to secretly send her a bunch of clothes through the Witch Court.

Adrien stretched his body and walked towards the table, taking the plate with the remaining cake. He started eating sitting on the bench of his piano.

“Girl,” He called.

The girl stood up and walked to him, a little smile was painted on her lips.

In front of him, the girl bowed.

Adrien left the plate on the bench and stood up too.

Adrien cupped the girl’s cheek and ducked his head, aligning his eyes with hers.

“Hi, gorgeous, what’s your name?” He asked, his voice as thick and sweet as honey.

“Breex,” She answered between a dreamy sigh. She was already under his spell.

“Breex, that’s lovely,”  
The girl smiled shyly.

“Breex, I need to ask for two little favors,” Adrien begun, “First you already know, I need your blood,”

Breex nodded, Adrien, brushed her hair away from her neck.

“Two is a bit harder because I need you to cover for me,” He said, he rubbed one spot on top of her carotid and got ready to bite.

He smiled, showing off his teeth, and bent down to encrust his fangs.

He had missed warm blood. He had tried his best to like animal blood but he always ended up puking, he had to hide that from Marinette many times. And then the blood he had drunk from Luka’s blood bags had been there for a while, so it was not the best quality.

Now, this was different and he could have gone for longer, but he had to take care of a few plans.

He backed from her and cleaned his mouth with the back of his hand.

“That will be enough, sweetie,” He smiled and nodded, encouraging her to put a patch over the spot he had used to drink.

“Now, favor number two, Breex,” He smiled tenderly.

Adrien twisted his wrist a bit and pointed with his fingers and the bed and his closet, messing it up. The little motion was normal for him, but it reminded him of Marinette.

Those hand motions were not something he would actually see in Kertáh. Vampires could compel people, but not all of them, and those who did only had to look someone in the eyes and start.

Adrien was a little bit different. He could not only compel people spectacularly, but he also had control over objects.

He waved to the candles and made the half of them turn off.

“Make sure they think we are having fun, and make it last until I return,” He whispered in her ear.

The girl nodded, a little gasp came out of her mouth and she walked towards the bed.

“Plagg, I’m going out if you want to follow,” Adrien said, more for respect to Breex than actually wanting the demon’s company.

“But we just got here,”

“If you follow I’ll ask the kitchen to bring whatever you like,”

“Anything?!”

“Yes,”

“Cheese?”

“Yes,

“Camembert?

“I said yes! _Are you coming or not?_ ” Adrien asked exasperatedly.

“There’s no need to scream, you sure are moody,”

Adrien growled and hit his face with his hand. He was doomed for eternity, wasn’t he?

**xx**

 

Adrien had used the catacombs before, he always did when he sneaked, so of course, he considered the best way to bring a secret army to the palace.

He just needed to find the shortest and most effective path to take, and then he could ask for help to the guys at the still-nameless opposition

Adrien was marking the walls with chalk, and Plagg was proving to be useful holding a candle and lighting the way.

He already had marked three possible paths. He was going through the fourth one when one of the secret doors opened.

Kagami and Nino entered, running. They were panting and sweating.

Adrien smiled, joy poured over his whole body.  

“I know I’ve been out but I don’t remember my father promoting a marathon,” He teased.

His friends looked up

“Adrien!” Nino screamed, his face illuminated with joy and he jumped to hug his best friend.  

“Where the hell were you? What were you doing?!” Kagami yelled

“Out. Getting laid,” Adrien said, hugging Nino back with the same euphoria.

Nino spun Adrien around and they started laughing.

“Damn, I missed you,” Adrien said, just realizing how true that was. He cupped Nino’s cheeks and kissed his cheek. Nino laughed and hugged him tighter.

“This is not funny! Stop acting like kids!” Kagami came between them and separated them.

“You’re no fun, Mimi,” Adrien said bitterly.

“This is no time for fun! You’ve been out for almost a month, Adrien Agreste! You’re the prince of this nation, you can’t do as you like,”

“I never do as I like,” Adrien huffed, “Can you just be happy to see me?”

“I’m more angry than happy right now,” Kagami punched his shoulder with her fist. ”You have any idea what we just found?! What Nino thinks you were doing! It’s shameful, so you better start talking,”

Adrien rose a brow at Nino. What was Kagami talking about?

“It’s just a supposition but—

Nino was interrupted by the sound of a clash.

Bright orange flames that materialized in front of them and a very angry Alya, looking more similar to a fox than ever, walked through them.

“Oh, no” Adrien whispered.

So, Alya had found him first than The Witch Court, he never considered that a possibility, he didn’t think she would leave Marinette's side. Guess he had been wrong, now he was going to face the consequences.

Kagami took her sword out of her scabbard and waved it at Alya, but she just vanished from the place and appeared again just in front of Adrien.  

A dark hand made of fire and smoke wrapped Adrien from his waist, making him levitate.

“What did you do to her?” Alya hissed.

Adrien gulped.

He had tried his best not to imagine how Marinette was holding up, because if she loved him as much as he loved her then things were not pretty.

“Alya listen,” Adrien begun.

A splash of water hit Alya’s face and the smoke hand lost is handle, dropping Adrien to the ground.

Nino stood in front of him and created a wall of water.

“Stay away,” He warned her.

Alya stood up one more time and more flames started to burn across the room.

“Oh, intriguing. How did a vampire get it on with a water spirit?”Alya asked, looking at Nino, and if looks could kill Nino would be underground by now. A ball of fire was thrown in Nino’s direction.

“None of your business, foxy lady,” Nino stopped the fireball with a squirt of water from his wall.

Alya’s ears flapped and she growled.

Nino’s wall of water evaporated in front of their eyes.

Kagami jumped to attack Alya, but again she just teletransportated. Kagami rolled in the ground, a scream of frustration escaped her lips.

“Luka is on his way to inform the Witch Court,” Alya announced, taking one step at a time as he moved towards them “So you better tell me where are you keeping her!”

Adrien opened his mouth to speak but once he processed Alya’s phrase he stopped.

Keeping her? Why would he be with Marinette?

Wait...

“Marinette is not with you?!” Adrien asked. 

“Wha-

Nino threw a blast of water at Alya, and she was thrown away meters away from them.

“Let’s go, Adrien,” Kagami took him by his wrist, but he stood where he was.

“Alya,” Adrien jolted and ran in the kitsune’s direction, “Where is Marinette?”

Adrien kneeled by Alya’s side and offered her a hand to stand up.

Alya opened her eyes, and while he could still how angry she was, he could also see the confusion.

“Don’t mess up with me,”  
“Marinette is not here, I thought she was safe with you, at Luka’s”  
“She came to look for you!” Alya shrieked.

“She… she what?”  

Adrien’s expression must have been too obvious, showing off all the complex emotions that were running through his mind.

“She really isn’t here,” Adrien gasped.

Why would she be here? Why did she go looking for him? To get revenge on her own? Why would she do that when she had to stay hidden?

Reckless Marinette! why was she so stubborn?

“Dumb witch,” Alya hissed.

“Oh, hell, she is,” Adrien said tugging his hair.

“Wait, wait, witch?” Nino asked, kneeled down too, in front of Alya who hissed at him, “Your witch?”

“The hell that she is his witch!” Alya spat back

“Calm your horses, foxy. I’m talking about the pretty girl, bright blue eyes and long black hair,” Nino took something from his pocket, “She was wearing this, is that the girl?”

Nino showed the necklace. Adrien’s heart sank,

“Why do you have this?!” Adrien reached for the necklace, and touched, he saw the broken chain and feared the worse, “Where did you find it?”

“We found the witch, Adrien!” Kagami shouted, “She was in the forest, she smelled like you, pretty easy prey,”  
Adrien stood up and in a quick run, he was looking down at Kagami.

“If you call her prey one more time, I--

“Bloody hell, don’t tell me Nino’s suppositions are right,” Kagami said between clenched teeth, “Don’t tell me you’re so shameless to fall in love with a witch,”

“And why do you care anyway? You have a girlfriend!”

“Adrien you’re the heir to the throne,”

“Where is she? What did you do to her?” Adrien pressed his palms against the wall, at each side of Kagami and looking straight to her eyes. He wanted nothing but the truth.

“We just thought she was a gift,”

Adrien’s blood boiled.

He clashed his fist against the wall, making Kagami jump. Realizing his behaviour, he stepped back. Adrien was enraged, but he still cared deeply about Kagami.

“Nino, explain,” Adrien said turning around and looking for his friend, just to find him having a silent fight of looks with Alya.

He had spheres of water on his hands, and Alya had flames on her hands.

As fun as a fight between them could be, there were more important businesses to attend.

“Nino, what happened to my girl?!”

“Your girl?” Alya and Nino said at the unison and then growled at each other.

“Marinette, the witch, whatever you want to call her, can you just speak?”  
“We found her in the woods, girl said she was looking for her cat. Sorry, but a really bad liar there,”

Looking for her cat? Adrien furrowed his eyebrows and then the coin dropped.

Cat! He was her cat. Marinette was looking for him.

Not exactly sure if he should be happy or scared he told Nino to continue.

“We thought you had compelled her to come, that you had left the palace to find a witch. Kagami here thought it was a wedding gift,” Kagami stuck her tongue and then jutted. “We thought you had already drunk from her. Adrien, she smelled just like you, I really considered for a second that you had marked because she tasted _sweet_ and you lik-”  
“You drank from Marinette?!” Adrien lost his cool and ran to Nino only stopping because Alya got to him first and pushed him against a wall.

“Just a drop! I knew she was a witch then, after that we couldn’t do much!” Nino pushed Alya with his feet. “We couldn’t do anything to her, we heard Nathalie and we got scared so we ran away and--

“YOU LEFT HER _ALONE_?!” This time, Adrien reached Nino. He took him by his neck and pushed him against a wall, “You left Marinette in the forest when Nathalie was around!”

“She escaped, I told her to come, I swear! I realized she meant something for you but it was too late she was too far away and we ran back to the palace!”

“When was that?!” Adrien shouted on his face.

“Five, ten minutes ago? Nino said trembling, “Kagami, talk!”

“Probably ten minutes,” Kagami said as she took Adrien by his waist and pulled him away from Nino.

“Where is the forest you’re talking about?” Alya said. She pulled Adrien by the collar of his shirt, “Where is my best friend?”

“The Red Spiral Forest,” Adrien answered, “Can you take us there?”

“Why would I take you there? None of this would be happening if you had stayed the fuck away from Marinette,”

“I know that,” Adrien said, raw pain on his voice, “But if you don’t go with me you’ll get lost and maybe won’t ever find Marinette, and I can’t let that happen. I do love her, Alya,”

Alya flinched. She looked sick by his words.

“If this is another trick, just remember I’m a deity and I have ways to control the Spirit World,”  
Adrien nodded.

“And once we find her, you walk away from her life forever,”

“I promise,” Adrien said with all the sadness of his heart.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm really happy with how this chapter turned out :)  
> it's really hard for me to write fight scenes for some reason, so i had been working on this one for some time, and while i know is not perfect, i'm pleased :) 
> 
> someone asked me to give mari a break, and i was here like, dude i never give marinette a break, i'm the worst (not only here, in my other fics too lol)  
> also alya and nino yay!  
> ps: actually i have no idea if kitsunes have fire powers (like i should have done more research i know but i lve seen naruto and well you can see how influenced by it i was lol)  
> thank you for reading! all the love x
> 
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	20. spiderweb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> spider web: a web made by a spider. (gee, thank you google)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter took me so long! i had such a busy week: neurobiology, chinese revolution, anthropology test and a movie analysis for my psychology of personality class, so my mind was a mix of stuff and the chapter wasn't coming up as i wanted it to, but here it is, not perfect but at least is close to what i wanted.  
> and i actually have another test tomorrow and gotta read a paper, so if there are any mistakes, i'll fix it tomorrow in the morning before my classes start  
> anways  
> hope you like it!

 

The jingle bell Max had given Adrien sat heavy on his pocket.

It weighed as much as his heart did right now.

Was he supposed to call for reinforcements?

He wanted to, then he would have more chances to win over Nathalie and Marinette would be safe, but it was a huge risk.

His deal with them didn’t involve Marinette. They only cared about taking his father down and put him on the throne.

If he called them he could mess up the whole plan, giving them away, erasing the element of surprise he had.  And, he didn’t know if they were going to make it in time.

He only wished Marinette was hiding and had managed to fool Nathalie, and if not he hoped she was defending herself.

Marinette didn’t tell him about her encounter with Nathalie, but with how much he knew about the dark witch and the look on Marinette’s face when she talked about her, it was enough for him to imagine the worse.

He had seen and heard about Nathalie’s work and techniques over the years. He was his father’s right hand and she was lethal. It really was a miracle that Marinette was alive, and not laying somewhere drained or in pieces.

Actually, that was strange, Marinette had no scars whatsoever, not physically at least, the emotional ones were a given. The only mark on her body were the black spots on her lower back, and those were a consequence of her bond with her familiar.

Probably magic.

Not all witches were healers, but he wouldn’t be surprised if Marinette was one, after all, she was _the_ most powerful witch alive.

Adrien chuckled, the irony of the situation pierced through his heart like a keen weapon.

He was thankful they were running, Nino couldn’t hear him like this, if he had he would have asked to talk to him, and then Adrien would have broken down, and it was no time to break down.

But maybe talking to Nino right now, explain him a little could be beneficial, but really, Adrien was not sure that he could tell Nino what he was planning against his father.

Nino was part of one of the Vampire Royal Houses, but they still were in a pretty weak spot. Like all the other Royal Houses, the Lahiffe lineage was proud of being purebloods, at some point they were more vampires than the Royal Family since the Agreste had succubus genes running around, or that was until Nino’s father fell in love with a water spirit.

Adrien wasn’t born back then but he heard how ugly things got, but at the end of the day, the Lahiffe kept their position, and all the pressure ended up falling on Nino’s shoulders. He couldn’t fuck up.

Nino was carefree but his life was just as hard and controlled as Adrien’s had been, he just had to be exceptional at everything, especially his magic.

That had won Nino a place in the Royal Army.

So, he trusted Nino, maybe with his life, but he couldn’t him to betray his family, just because he wanted to betray his.

However, he still thought that he should tell him. Nino was not only an incredible ally to have on your side, but he was also his best friend, and if Adrien was going to stab his father on the back, he was going to need support.

Nonetheless, this was no time to worry about that.

Right now it was all about Marinette.

Marinette had followed him, and for what Alya said, Marinette was not looking for revenge, Marinette wanted to take him back.

In between the fear he was feeling he also felt butterflies on his stomach.

Marinette loved him and she knew that he loved her too, and if that didn’t mean to put Marinette in danger -and she already was in danger- he could have been bouncing and singing around the gardens.

Because Adrien wanted Marinette to hate him since that meant she would be safe, but he too wanted her to know that he had never lied, that all he felt about her was not a trick, it was a hundred percent real, that he had fallen for her so deep that he somehow had ended up high.

“Adrien!” Nino shouted. Adrien turned his head to see him.

He was pointing at a few fallen branches to their left. Adrien nodded and followed Nino, making a sign for Kagami and to wherever Alya was right now.

The branches were only the beginning, in the bitten path, there were broken truck, smashed leaves and dead animal.

Adrien gulped, a pinch of fear leaked through him.

Whoever had done so much damage to the forest had not been Marinette. This was not her style, neither was Nathalie’s. They were following the trace of another creature.

“This place doesn’t smell like Adrien or the witch,”

“She has a name, Mimi,” Adrien said, only half joking.

“Why bother learning it when once we find her she is going to go?” Kagami said and before Adrien could shout at her, she turned her direction, “Follow me, I sense something,”

A rush of energy hit Adrien and followed Kagami, letting go his anger.

Adrien ran so enthusiastically that he almost ran into a net, luckily Kagami pulled him away.

They stopped and looked at the white strings hanging in between the red trees, tracing a very distinctive shape.

“It looks like a spider web,” Alya said. Pointing out what was already obvious.

“I don’t think a spider so big exists,” Adrien said, looking at Nino for confirmation. He shook his head.

“It’s not a spiderweb,” Kagami muttered, touching the sticky strings with the point of her sword, “This was made in a lab of sorts,”

“Why would it be here?” Nino asked, inspecting the object.

“It’s a trap, obviously,” Alya and Kagami said at unison, then they shared a hateful sight.

“But for what?” Nino asked, a little bugged with the girls’ attitude.

“Can we ask ourselves that later? We need to find Marinette,” Adrien said, running on his spot and looking to every direction, searching for a clue in the distance that would tell him where his princess was.

“It could be for the witch,” Kagami hissed,

“I doubt it, this wouldn’t stop her,” Alya answered, “And I agree with the jerk, we need to find Mari,”

“Don’t call him a jerk,” Nino and Kagami hissed, leaning towards Alya, who just rose an unamused brow.

“I am a jerk, don’t fight useless battles,” Adrien said,

“Just because you…” Kagami stopped mid-sentence and turned back.

She sniffed the air and her body went stiff.

“What’s wrong?” Adrien asked. Of the three, Kagami was the one with the best-developed senses.

“Run,”

“Why?” Alya asked. Adrien took her by the wrist and pulled her to him, starting to run.

Alya puffed and then reappeared by his side, floating at the same speed he was running, “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know but if Kagami says run, _you run_ ,” Adrien answered.

He had no time to wonder what was really happening, but if Kagami was warning them, then she had saved them.

Adrien heard the roar before he smelled the beast.

Yes, Kagami had definitely saved them.

“Not again,” Adrien moaned distressed.

He saw Alya’s wide-eyed expression. Flames rose from her body and the forest behind them started to burn.

But that wasn’t going to stop the monster, it was dauntless and the only thing that moved it was its appetite.

“Who brought a bloody wendigo to our forest?!” Nino shouted.

He was throwing water to a few of the flames that were burning, creating a curtain of smoke that would make it for the wendigo to see.

“Your asshole king send it to look for this idiot!” Alya pointed at Adrien.

“He what?!” Nino spat, he was creating stalactites on the branches of the trees, they would probably fall if the ground shook, and then attack the monster.

Adrien couldn’t confirm if this was the same wendigo that had almost killed him and the reason why he had ended up on the forest the same night as Marinette, but if it was then he knew his scent and Adrien was up to big trouble.

Adrien extended his arms and then pulled them down, compelling the branches of the trees to break and levitate for a few seconds on the middle of the path, complementing Nino’s stalactites on the attack.

Just like Adrien predicted, the beast kept going, none of their attacks stopped it, they only slowed it down.

He heard Alya’s yell frustrated. She vanished from their side and appeared behind them. Standing in the middle of the path and creating a big ring of fire.

“Alya no!” Adrien shouted. Whatever she was doing, it was not going to work and she would get herself killed. Or whatever deities did.

Alya’s hair went up, mimicking the shapes of a flame and so did her tail. She circled her hands on the air and threw fire.

The flames hit the wendigo. It squealed but it didn’t stop, actually, it looked more angry and hungry than before.

“Alya!” Adrien shouted. He stopped running and turned back, to catch Alya, but Nino was faster.

Nino jumped and pushed her away of the wendigo’s trace. Both of them rolling a few meters away from where they initially stood.

Adrien felt some of the tension on his shoulders disappear. He kept his sight on them until they started running again.

He searched for Kagami again, who was still guiding them through the forest, choosing the best path. However, Adrien still looked around, for an alternative way and for any signs of Marinette or Nathalie.

“Adrien!” The little voice bounced against his ear.

He looked to the side, his hair getting in between, barely seeing the little blop of black that Plagg was.

“Not now!” He said. Whatever the demon wanted, it could probably wait.

“Hear me out!”  
“There’s a wendigo, Plagg!” Adrien pointed behind him. Hopefully, the wendigo was still there because if not, Adrien would die.

“Just say yes!” The demon appeared in front of his face.

Adrien brushed him away with his hand.

“Say yes!” The demon said again.

“Yes?!” Adrien asked between chirped teeth.

He was done with the creature, once this was over he was abandoning him.

“Good, that’ll do!”

A bright black circle grew around Plagg, it was similar to smoke and it circled around Adrien before disappearing.

Adrien felt his hand burn, he saw at the ring glowing and then right in front of his eyes his hands transformed. His hand was still pretty close to the one of a human but once again he had long black claws and his skin was covered with short black fur.

“Oh, no, not fucking again!” Adrien shouted.

That demon was really the plague!

Adrien wanted to scream. If he had gone through two exorcisms for nothing he was going to find a way for Plagg to face the consequences.

Adrien narrowed his eyes, looking for his friends. With the little distraction, he had stayed behind. He was surprised to find out that he was seeing even better than before.

Vampires had great night vision, the problem was during the day when the sun was too bright. Right now he was seeing better than before, not because the colors were clearer but because he was seeing in a new gamma that allowed him to distinguish the objects and the perspectives better.

Maybe Plagg wasn’t such a nuisance.

Adrien kept running, giving long and high jumps, just like a wild cat.

“Bloody hell!” Nino shouted and threw a squirt of water in Adrien's direction.

“Nino no! It’s me!” He put his hands in the air, asking for mercy. He dodged the water and ran to Nino. “It’s Adrien! I can explain but not now, you’ll have to trust me!”

“Why do you look like a bloody cat?!”

“Like a cat? Am I not a cat?” Adrien asked confused.

“Not completely?! This is so strange! You look human but-” Nino stopped. They almost ran into a branch, both ducked and kept running. “Let’s talk about this later!”

“Sure!” Adrien nodded.

He looked back, the wendigo was still following them. They had to go faster if they wanted to miss it.

They were losing time here, they needed to find Marinette!

If they hadn’t get distracted by that spiderweb they wouldn’t be facing the wendigo right now.

A bell chimed on Adrien’s mind.

That was it!

“Guys!” He shouted.

Kagami jumped down from the branch she was, running at his left.

“What happened to you?!”

“No time to explain!” Adrien shook his head, “I have a plan!”

“It better be good!”  
“Better than nothing!” Adrien said, “I’ll need you all to listen to me,”

“We are already listening, just talk,” Alya said, she was above his head now.

“We need to take it back to the spider web, I have a feeling it was designed to trap the wendigo,”

“Of course! Alya shouted, a smile finally appeared on her lips.

“How do we do that?” Nino asked “We’ll get stuck on the strings too, we can’t go through things,”

“I can!” Alya gave a smug smirk at Nino, who responded by rolling his eyes.

“You don’t have a distinctive smell,” Nino said back, “It is following us,”

“Alya, go behind the wendigo and throw fire! Send fire behind and to the sides, create a path!”

“You got it,” Alya winked and faded.

“Kagami will be the bait,” Adrien followed.

“I’ll be what?” Kagami growled.

“You’re the fastest here, it can only be you,” Flattering was the way to Kagami’s heart, Adrien knew that damn well.

Even from this distance, Adrien could see the pride on Kagami’s eyes.

“Are you in, Mimi?” He asked, just to make it sure.

“I can’t believe we are going through this just because of a witch,” She spat.

“ _Kagami!_ ” Nino and Adrien said at the same time, they were already close to the spiderweb.

“It is ridiculous!” Kagami said.

Between all his anger and worrying, Adrien let himself have a moment to make a joke.

He looked at Nino who was already looking at him, they smiled at each other and then shouted at unison.

“ _Utterly ridiculous!”_

Kagami growled as the pair laughed

“Your girlfriend is rubbing off on you,” Adrien said before giving a high jump and landing on the branch of a tree.

“Shut up!” Kagami said, sending a threatening glare.

“Are you ready?”  
“When am I not?” Kagami smirked.

Kagami raised her sleeve above her elbow and took the dagger that she had hidden. She took the handle and without hesitation, she cut above her wrist.

The blood started dripping fast.

She ripped a piece of her blouse and pressed it against the fresh wound, soaking the white in red.

Alya’s fire kept sending the wendigo closer and closer to the vampire.

Adrien looked from above. He was worried that Kagami wouldn’t be fast enough and that he would end up losing her. He would not recover if he did.

But then, Kagami’s well known winning smile drew on her lips, and Adrien grinned ecstatically.

Kagami tied the soaked cloth on her dagger, she aimed at the tree covered in spider webs and threw it.

Adrien made a sign to Nino.

Nino nodded and dropped to the ground, catching Kagami’s pace, at the same time creating a ball of water between his hands.

Kagami slowed down a little, and extended her hand to Nino, submerging it on Nino’s water-ball.

The sphere stained in red and slowly started to dilute. And so did the smell of it.

Adrien sniffed the air. It was impregnated with Kagami’s bittersweet scent, and most of it came from the dagger.

Kagami kept running, she was about to hit the spiderweb.

Adrien felt his heart stop, she was not going to be able to turn on time.

At the last second, Alya puffed in front of her. Kagami collided against her but instead of getting pressed against the net, they went through it.

Adrien let out all the air he was holding.

The wendigo followed the scent and hit the net. It got caught in the strings, the white sticky lines stuck to it, leaving him immobile, marking Adrien’s plan like a success.

Adrien tasted the victory like a sweet drink of Mermaid’s Tear Coctel.

He stopped to contemplate his masterpiece when a voice screamed inside of him.

_Destroy it!_

Adrien didn’t know from where it was coming from, but he nodded in agreement.

His instinct moved him and he opened his hands, feeling a tickling on his fingers.

Adrien ran and jumped, right at the perfect angle to attack the monster.

Adrien scratched its face, and it was so easy as a knife that went through freshly baked bread.

The wendigo’s face started boiling and then, it crumbled. So did the rest of its body, leaving only ashes behind.

“Woah!” Nino clapped in the ground.

Adrien was just as surprised. Were these Plagg’s real abilities? Why hadn’t he been able to do this before?

He would have to ask.

Adrien walked to Nino’s side and smirked.

“That was crazy, dude!” Nino hugged him.

In this shape, Nino was a few centimeters shorter than him, when usually he was taller.

“Indeed,” Adrien nodded.

Adrien looked at his hand. The ring had merged with his hand, but it was still there, not like last time.

Adrien whispered what he thought could break the curse. “Un-possess me, demon,”

It worked. He heard a crack and the energy surrounded him, coming back to his real form.

Plagg appeared in front of him. A little smile of mischief was lifting curling his lips.

“I think I deserve a lot of cheese as a thank you,” He said, proud of himself.

“We’ll talk about that later,” Adrien huffed.

“We sure will,” Nino nodded, “Let’s go for the girls,”

Adrien agreed and they jogged, encircling the trees and the remains of the wendigo.

Alya and Kagami were lying on the ground, looking at the sky, both of them obviously tired, gasping for air.

“Well done, girls,” Adrien said, kneeling by their side.

Alya rolled on her back and sat on her legs.

She touched the ground with her hands and dig up her fingers into the leaves.

“Marinette was here,” Alya said. “Or at least close,”

“Guide us,” Adrien said.

**xx**

Alya had been right, Marinette had been there and it was not hard to look for clues that would bring them to her.

Marinette’s magic was staining the trees in shades of pink, red, orange and a faded tint of blue.

But nothing was more telling than the scenario they found after walking a kilometer.

There was burnt wood, ashes, trees without any leaves on them and a bunch of corpses lying around.

“That’s Nathalie’s army,” Nino stuttered.

“I’ll say this is half of Nathalie’s army,” Kagami whispered.

“Sancoeur’s?” Alya asked. Adrien remembered that nor Alya or Marinette knew Nathalie by her real name. Outside the palace, she was known as the King’s Slayer or by her surname.

For the three of them, who had lived on the palace for long enough now, she would always be Nathalie, no matter how much they feared her or hated her.

“Yes,” Nino nodded, kicking one of the bodies on the ground, “So they’re dead _dead,_ not “living dead”, not undead, they are dead undeads now,”

“Are you trying to be funny?” Alya asked.

“Do you think I am?” He shot her a curious look.

“I’ll have to think about it,” The kitsune answered, biting her lip as she looked at him from head to toe.

Adrien fake coughed, “Alya, is this Marinette’s doing?”

“The arrows are not magical but they irradiate magic, so my bet is that Marinette threw a spell on them, I’ve never felt Marinette’s energy so intensely before,” Alya looked distressed, “I’m worried,”

“Me too,” Adrien let his shoulders fall.

“Hey, we’ll find her we have a trace now,” Nino said, squeezing his shoulders.

Adrien nodded.

They started walking, avoiding the dead bodies, and searching for little marks of magic or any other sign that they could take them to Marinette.

The crack of branch put them all on alert.

“ _Metas_ ,” The vampires whispered at the same time.

Nino took Alya by her wrist and pulled her to them.

The four hid behind a rock close to one bent tree.

Kagami and Adrien stayed on their feet, looking at the group of _metas_ approaching.

“Why are we hiding?” Alya asked Adrien, “We don’t have time for this,”

“ _Metas_ , uh, converted vampires don’t come to this forest, if they are here they’re probably unstable and they’ll attack us. We lose less time if we hide,” He whispered.

“Can’t they smell you?”

“No, their senses are pretty weak,” Nino answered. “But if you keep talking, they’re gonna find us,”

Alya pursed her lips and jutted.

Nino smiled pleased.

Adrien scratched his arm, he was starting to lose his mind. They needed to find Marinette fast, she was out there fighting with Nathalie, and he needed to help her.

Could these metas be faster? They really had nothing to do here!

“Hey!” One of the metas spoke.

“What do you want now?” Another one in the group responded.

“Just, what do we do now,” The younger boy asked.

Adrien leaned forward. He recognized that voice.

Once they stepped closer, Adrien knew exactly why the voice sounded familiar.

“That’s the group of men that had the wendigo,” Adrien whispered, “I was escaping from them,”

“The ones that were looking for you?” Kagami wondered. Adrien nodded, “Why would they be here?”

“Who knows,” Adrien shrugged.

They kept silence once again, concentrating on the men’s words.

“But-”

The boy was interrupted. The taller man slapped him.

Adrien flinched.

Kagami blew a raspberry and sent him an “are-you-for-real?” look.

“As always, Sancoeur got the prey,” The man said, “She is already back on the palace, ready to give it to the King,”

Alya gasped so loud, Adrien was surprised the _metas_ didn’t hear.

Adrien’s skin crawled and his hair bristled.

“No,” His voice quivered. “No, no, no, no no,”

Adrien collapsed on the floor. He felt dizzy, he lacked air to keep breathing normally.

His body shook, and tears started streaming down his eyes.

“Adrien,” Nino whispered, but it was too far away.

Adrien hid his face behind his hands and curled on the floor as he sobbed uncontrollably.

It was too late.

Nathalie had Marinette and it was all his fault.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, but did yall really think i was going to make it *that* easy? no way :)
> 
> also our friend the wendigo is back!  
> who got the little references to plagg and the ring? 
> 
> next chapter, will be graced by a character that has not appeared yet :D 
> 
> have a nice day!
> 
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	21. full moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> full moon: the phase of the moon in which its whole disc is illuminated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have you ever seen bts' blood sweat and tears video??  
> well i've watch that video like a million times, and i watched it like ten more times before writing this chapter, bc that's all the vibe im going here with the vampire palace, and the vampire's fashion so yeah....

 

Marinette kept fighting the whole way back to the castle, but her magic was useless.

Sancoeur had wrapped chains all over her body, she had heavy handcuffs on her wrists and a metal plate between her teeth. She also drew an inverted cross on top of her forehead with vampire venom, and every time Marinette jolted or tried to whisper a spell, without caring about the plate, the dark witch would press her thumb against the cross and Marinette’s whole body would convulse.

She felt ill, she felt hopeless. She was holding on to nothing, she was reaching for a helping hand that didn’t exist, she was aware of it, but she was still pushing her body to stay awake, to stay fighting.

It was draining her, but at least she was doing something because there had to be a way for her to activate her power and run away without dying in the process. But, with all the ruthenium around her, and the vampire venom running through her veins, maybe killing herself with her magic would be the most dignified way to die, then at least it would be her decision.

Marinette kept thinking and thinking as they left the forest and entered the palace.

The Red Royal was nothing like she imagined it would be.

It was pretty, not scary and full of spider webs and corpses like the one she saw in her head every time she thought about it.

She had no idea in which part of the palace they were, only that it was magnificent. It was nothing like the palace in _Ifyuru_ , where everything looked like a fantasy. This place was classy and elegant.

The roof was high and curved, the vaults had gold designs on each arch. The doors were tall and deep black, engraved with different designs, they went so fast Marinette could not pick them all, but they looked like the wings of a butterfly.

There was marble everywhere, on the floors, on the frames of the doors, on pillars and in other decorations around the room.

There were crystal chandeliers, and silk curtains, paintings on the walls and on the roof. The palace was extraordinary, and if it didn’t belong to the vampires, Marinette would have loved to live here.

The more they walked, the prettier the rooms were and Marinette wondered if she was hallucinating because there was no way that someone so horrible as the Vampire King could have such an exquisite and delicate taste. How could someone appreciate the beauty and be so evil at the same time?

But it made sense right? That he was more than a sanguinary man, than his goals and interest went beyond her chase, because for her the King was this man that wanted to kill her and use her to his own proposes, but for anyone else, he was more than just that. They might fear him, they might respect him, even admired him, because he was someone that existed outside Marinette’s scary little world.

At that moment she realized she actually didn’t know anything about him. She actually didn’t know anything about the world.

She was taught history and etiquette, and she knew all the names of the Ministers and Senators of Kertáh, and she knew about the old wars and why the cordial relationship between the kingdoms had ended, but she didn’t know anything else, she didn’t know the people, and she for sure didn’t know the King, which made the situation much more intriguing because, for the first time in years, Marinette really started to question why did the Vampire King want her?

She understood why he would want her blood, that would make him the most powerful vampire to ever step on the planet, but why her soul?

What did he want so much that her blood wasn’t enough?

He wanted power but over what?

The question bounced on her mind for minutes, she tried to consider every little thing she knew about magic, spirits, vampires and witches and how it all connected together but every idea that came out of that reflexion was stupid or too crazy to be true.

Her brain was like the engines of a clock, working so fast that they were about to set on fire.

Her mind only got quiet when she got distracted by a painting on the wall right in front of her.

It was a big painting with a fancy gold frame.

A painting of Adrien.

He was sitting on a blue couch, leaning forward, his arms on top his knees, his hand pressed to his left fist. The painter had perfectly captured the intensity of his eyes, which look greener because of all the black he was wearing.

He looked as gorgeous as she remembered.

Was Adrien back?

If he loved her, could he be back here?

Knowing all the pain she had gone through, knowing that the reason why Marinette’s life was like it was thanks of his father, could he come back to the palace pretending nothing had happened?

He probably had, if he meant his promise he was back and ready to attack, and maybe just maybe, Adrien would find her before it was too late.

They left the beautiful rooms behind and stepped into a dark hallway. There were little windows on the tallest parts of the walls, moonlight leaking through them and guiding the path, but that was about it.

Marinette tried to lean towards the little light it entered, just a few could help her to recover her strength.

Sancoeur noticed this, she snapped her fingers and the chains strangled Marinette tighter than before.

“Don’t even try it, your Highness, I’m always one step ahead of you,”

Sadly, so it seemed because Marinette couldn’t find a way to trick them. If she only knew why they wanted her, then she could focus all her logic on it and she would find a way out, she knew she could, but she still had to figure it out.

A big metal door creaked open and Nathalie pulled her body in, she made her float and threw her at the center of the room.

Marinette moaned in pain.

She rolled on her back and pressed her left side of her body, the side that hurt less, against the floor.

Marinette scanned the room with her sight.   

The room was shaped in an oval, and it was big but empty, the only decoration was the big stained glass on the roof. The moonlight went through it and created colorful shapes on the floor.  Marinette was right under it.

The moonlight felt nice but she was too worried about Sancoeur’s next move to be grateful about the sudden boost of energy.

Marinette stretched her body as much as the chain allowed her to, she shifted her body a little, changing her body angles, looking for the most comfortable-uncomfortable position she could get.

She caught a glimpse of crystal in the distance. She kept her eyes on the suspicious point but her vision was blurry and she couldn’t catch the object right.

What she did catch were the shoes of a new person.

Dark purple leather shoes with silver buckles, giving steps in her direction.

Marinette followed the shape of the man and looked up, knowing exactly who to expect.

Wearing a black silver crown and an evil smile, Gabriel Agreste was right in front of her.

He had white hair and greyish eyes that were slowly staining with red.

He didn’t look anything like Adrien, and that was a relief.

“You did well, Nathalie,” He spoke, his voice was like ice crackling.

“Thank you, your Majesty,”

In all her nightmares, things ended quite quickly. It was all over when he saw him and they killed her with just one blow, or they finally found a way to take her soul and keep it intact for their proposes, but the reality was nothing like it.

The King was enjoying his moment. Circling her and watching her from every angle, take in the smell of her blood and contemplating the room with her as the central piece.

It was disgusting.

“Nathalie,” He said, it sounded like a full order.

Sancoeur clapped and Marinette floated, meeting Gabriel eye to eye.

“After all this time,” He lifted her chin with his hand. “You’re finally mine,”

Marinette pulled away and hissed at him as loud as she could with the ruthenium plate between her teeth.

“She is feisty,” He smiled, it was nauseating.

He was caressing her cheek and smiling, a whole plan of torture shining on his eyes.

Marinette called for her magic, she felt it charging in her core, but it went slow. She also needed to find a way to attack that didn’t include fire. Her hands hurt from all the burns that the lack of control had left behind, she couldn’t risk her hands more than he already had.

She could try to use silent magic but that required a big amount of energy and control, she lacked both. She had all this power and no way to handle it.

“We had a very entertaining encounter,” Sancoeur said, “I’ll dare to say that it was good we didn’t catch her sooner, she didn’t have the what you needed before, your Majesty,”

“And now she does?” He rose a brow. He softly slapped Marinette’s cheek.

Sancoeur nodded, “Still lacks training and control, the witches have left aside her training and centered on keeping her hidden,”  
“Fools,” Agreste said, a smile on his voice, “They’re so worried about losing another queen to her own magic that they left her defenseless,”

“A waste if you ask me, she is smart enough to be the most powerful queen _Ifyuru_ has seen,” A compliment from Sancoeur, this really was the end, wasn’t it?

“Yeah,” The vampire stepped aside and gave another circle around her, “She smells like my son,”

“I noticed too,”

Marinette’s pulse went on full speed. She heard it before, from Adrien’s fiancé. Back then she had been worried about her own safety, about escaping, now that she was already chained she was worrying about Adrien.

What if his father found out that Adrien loved her? What could happen to him?

Marinette felt how her magic started to charge faster, her emotions enchanting it.

“She smells too much like him for this to be a coincidence, and she was in the forest close to the palace,” The dark witch surrounded her, stopping next to the king “I don’t sense any marking, she doesn’t have a bite but her pupils dilate every time we say his name, which makes me believe that Prince Adrien is more fearless and resourceful than I gave him credit,”

“He has his airs of glory,” The King smiled, “And he is headstrong, I’m not surprised that he figured it out and went to look for the girl himself,”  
Marinette was sure the King felt proud of his offspring because he thought he was as vile as he was, but that wasn’t the case. That wasn’t what had happened.

Adrien was running away, and the King was so self-centered that he couldn’t see that his own son hated him. Adrien was not after her, Adrien had found her in the way and if she smelled like him was because he had been glued to her for two whole weeks, having fun and loving her, nothing else.

“If the witch is here, maybe so it’s Adrien,” Agreste rose a brow, “Nathalie, call for a servant, I want to know if my son came back,”  
Nathalie snapped her fingers and after a few seconds, a high pitched scream started to approach them.

A servant appeared in the room, being pulled by an undead eagle two times the normal size of the actual bird.

The bird let it go at the King’s feet. The servant stopped screaming and bowed at the King.

“Your Majesty,” His words trembled.

“It’s my son back?” Agreste was direct and frightening with his question,

“He is back, your Majesty,” The servant stumbled over his words and started nodding vigorously. “We were waiting for you to be free to inform you,”

Adrien was here!

Adrien was in the castle! Adrien could help her!

He just needed to take the metal out and she would take care of the rest.

Adrien promised to kill them. Back then she hadn’t been happy with the idea of him getting his hands dirty, but right now she would look past that and take her lover’s offer.

“Call him,” Yes, call for Adrien, call for her kitty!

“Uh…” The servant scratched the back of his head, “We went looking for him, to bring him to you, King Gabriel, but...he seems to be _busy,_ sir,”

 _“Busy how?_ He just came back,” King Gabriel put one threatening hand up.

The servant curled in fear

“He called for a _donor_ , your Majesty!” He shouted, his voice quivered, “And uh… he seems to be enjoying his time, we didn’t want to bother,”

Realization crossed the King’s eyes, and he laughed. “Oh, to be young,”

What did that mean?

“Once he gets tired of the girl, and his hormones calm down, tell him to come to see his father,”

_Girl? Hormones?_

Marinette gulped. That didn’t mean what she thought it meant, right?

No! That had to be a mistake!

Adrien loved her, he would not come back to the palace and run to the first girl that appeared.

He loved _her._

He just needed his blood, the servant had to be lying or it had to be some kind of trick from Adrien, a joke even!

As Chat Noir, Adrien would make jokes every once in a while, they were dumb but they were funny and she saw how much it filled his pride when she laughed.

It had to be because there was no way she had read him wrong.

Bells started chiming at some point in the room, Marinette couldn’t know where because all her senses, all her body energy was focused on getting as much magic power as she could to attack but she knew that meant something.

“I was always proud of my son, but nothing like tonight,” King Gabriel said, “He really is efficient, one day he’ll be a great king, don’t you think, Nathalie?”  
“If you approve, sir, then so do I,”   
“Let’s get things done, Adrien will have to miss the beginning,” He put one finger up and pointed at something in the distance.

Sancoeurs started walking away and the King stepped close to her one more time.

“You arrived at the perfect time,” He reached for her and caressed her cheek again, Marinette flinched.

She had never felt so sick before, but his touch was the most repulsive thing he had ever experienced.

He took her hand once again and obligate her with his compelling powers to keep looking at his eyes. If only Marinette had more power, then she would have been able to break the compelling so easily.

“Finally, the last piece of my plan is here,” He sighed.

She was the last piece and she still hadn’t figured it out what he really wanted, keeping her at disadvantage.

What else could she do now?

The King took her by her neck and brushed her hair away, glaring at her skin. Was he looking for a mark? Maybe Adrien’s bite?

Marinette was thankful she had healed herself, any wound or love “bite” was far gone by now, keeping Adrien’s relationship with her a secret, keeping the surprise element he would be as, well, a surprise.

Metal chirped and the colors in the floor dashed away. The window on the room slowly opened, fading the colorful lights into the pure white moonlight, pouring down in all its splendor directly on top of her.

Marinette relaxed, the light was filling her up, the light was soaking her in magic. There was something soothing about this moonlight, something different to any other day.

She looked up and saw it. _Full moon._

Of course, he was not going to waste time, not when the full moon was right now, the moment her powers would be at their peak, and when she would be her most vulnerable.

“There’s no time to wait for Adrien,” King Gabriel said,  “We’ll congratulate him later. Get ready, Nathalie,”

“Yes, sir,” She nodded.

Marinette floated again, some of the chains stopped strangling her body and fell to the ground, they got dragged away to a corner of the room. Marinette tried to move but was quickly stopped by Nathalie’s magic, and she still didn’t feel like she could use her magic to attack back. Sancoeur extended her arms, making the shape of a cross with her body and kept her levitating in the middle of the room.

The dark witch stood right next to her, she twirled one dagger on her hands, the metal was glimmering under the moonlight.

Her lips curled in a little smile. A warning.

Marinette closed her eyes and waited for the first blow.

It was like back in the rooftop, those six years ago.

Sancoeur had her daggers, she had it under her control and she was hurting her. The only difference was that she only used one dagger this time and that she didn’t go through her body, this time she cut one line across her limbs, to make her bleed. In her arms from the side of her shoulder to the beginning of her hand, and in her legs, she cut on the back from her middle upper leg to the heel.

“She smells so sweet, just like magic does,” The vampire commented.

Marinette watched the blood drip, realizing how it wasn’t just falling, it following the shape of a big pentagram engraved on the floor.

Marinette’s heart started beating faster, which was not the best reaction she could have had considering that she was bleeding and she couldn’t lose too much blood or it would mark her end.

Her brain started running, she went through all the spells she knew, all the tricks, all the information that could help her but nothing was going to take her out of this, there was no time to come with a great plan, it was going all in or nothing.

Against all control and compelling, Marinette opened her hands and thunder came out of them, pushing them away from her, and falling to the floor as a consequence.

Marinette heard the splash of her own blood, and the breaking of what she thought had been her heel. She couldn’t begin to think how to hurt her body was after her fight in the forest, and now it would be probably worse.

However, Marinette, lost no time, she stood up, sadly, she fell immediately.

She pressed her hand against her stomach and started crawling away.

She tried to lift herself with her magic, start floating or use her wings but then was reminded her that Tikki, though she was still possessing the earrings, was not answering. She was on her own, the only thing Tikki was providing was stability, if it wasn’t for her she wouldn’t have had a way to gather magic for so long without exploding at some point.

Marinette dragged herself away from the moonlight, as much energy it was giving her if she stayed there she would never escape.

She moved using one hand and her good leg, reaching the corner of the room rather quickly for someone with so many injuries and so little energy.

Maybe she could make it, maybe she would get to the hallway and Adrien would be on his way, and then she would be saved, then he would take the remaining chains on her body that weighed her down and weakened with the ruthenium, maybe then he would go on the killing spree he seemed to want so much.

She just had to make it to the door, but when she saw the distance, she knew it was a pipe dream.

In a second, she was back in the air and was fastly moved back to the center. Her blood was still falling and the pentagram was almost complete by now.  

Her stomach twisted and the King appeared on her panorama.

He was looking her from above, holding both of her wrists, pressing with all his strength, making the blood drip faster.

“Do you think we are going to let you go so easily? Do you think after all this time you’re just going to use your magic and get out of here?”

“Collaborate, it’ll be easier for you, witch,” Sancoeur said at the other side of the room.

In an expected move from the King, a move Marinette would never imagine, he bit her wrist, his teeth pierced right above her veins and the poison entered her bloodstream.

Marinette’s piercing scream echoed the room. But she fought through the pain.

Marinette threw her head back and then with all the strength she still had she went forward, hitting the King with her forehead.

Agreste screamed and came back to look at her with a murderous expression.

“It’s over, witch!” He shouted.

He aligned his sight with hers, she tried to close his eyes but his powers didn’t let her. Red eyes met blue and she started to feel light headed.

Marinette pleaded for her powers to activate, to burn her, to end it all here, but her soul was waving her goodbye, which meant her magic wouldn’t respond no matter what she tried.

Marinette tried to make it easier for her, she imagined her valley and saw herself playing on the grass as she did after one year of living there, realizing that what was happening was real, that she really hadn’t been hunted for a whole year. She took all that joy, all the calm and brought it back to that moment.

She smiled. If she was dying, she was not giving the Vampire King the pleasure of seeing her in fear.

This soul-robbery was different from Sancouer’s. This one didn’t hurt, this one made her feel numb.

She wondered if Adrien was going to make it there and see her before she left. She only hoped he didn’t react harshly, that he would think what he was doing before jumping into danger. She would never forgive herself if she also got him killed.

Marinette started to see odd images, just like the last time. This one was different from the time before. There was no fox, ghost or cat, but the crown dripping with blood was back. She could only guess that was her. She never got to wear her crown, but she was dripping in blood and she was supposed to be the queen, that was enough.

She saw a lake, she saw the moon, then a hallway and walls crying blood.

Then she fairy lights, thousands and thousands of fairy lights. They were beautiful and they made her feel at ease. In the distance a blue light was shimmering, it was making a path and someone, who she did not recognize, was smiling and going after it.

Marinette smiled wider, at least she would leave with beautiful pictures in her mind.

A shout cut through her ears, and as if someone had pushed a heavy rock against her chest, she dropped to the ground.

She opened her eyes and felt her body again.

“Why doesn’t it work?!” Gabriel roared, he was on top of her, his legs at each side of her body. His irises remained black but this time his scleras were black, so did the veins under his eyes.

He squeezed Marinette’s face, his nails scratching the soft skin and he shook her.

Marinette had lost so much blood that she couldn’t flinch, she couldn’t react at all.

She was a rag doll at the King’s disposition. But she was a rag doll with an amused smile on her face because whatever he had tried to do, it hadn’t work. Even dying she was not giving anything to him easily.

“Maybe the prince could help,” The dark witch suggested, “He found a way to bring her here, he must know something we don’t,”

Adrien, yes, bring Adrien.

“Bring him now, tell him to fuck whoever he wants later!” The King roared. He slapped Marinette and then choked her, “What are you hiding, witch?!”  
Marinette coughed, the plate on her mouth made it hard but she didn’t stop and she splattered blood everywhere, even on the King’s face.

“Nathalie!” He stood up and left Marinette on the floor.

Marinette moved slowly, so slowly she wondered if she was actually moving or it was all on her mind.

“Sir, if you don’t get-”  
“Father,” Adrien's voice rang on her ears.

The tears couldn’t help but fall.

It was over! He was here, it was finally over!

“Son,” The King answered and walked to him, wrapping him in a hug.

Marinette watched the scene with disgust. How could that bastard touch her Adrien?

But to Marinette’s astonishment, Adrien hugged him back.

He smiled and then he backed away, he walked to Sancoeur.

Adrien was there, right in front of her.

He was watching her bleed, he was watching her die and he was smiling.

“ _Adrien,_ ” Marinette begged, but it probably came out as a muffled scream.

Adrien heard her, she could see that he did because his body shifted in her direction. His sight traveled over her body but never met her eyes, and Marinette was so desperately calling for his green eyes to connect with hers.

“Oh, Nathalie, you never fail do you?” Adrien asked smiling, there was something tender on his voice, something Marinette couldn’t understand. “You found my witch! I thought I lost her,”

“So, the witch _is_ your pray, son,”

“Of course, why did you think I left?” He asked and kneeled down in front of Marinette. “It took me a while, but I did it,”

 _“Adrien! Kitty!”_ Marinette called again, getting desperate.

“May I ask how you knew and how you did this?”

“Father, you have always underestimated me,” Adrien rose a brow, “My compelling powers have only grown and my strategies might seem soft, but they’re effective,”

“What did you do?” The King had a proud smile.

Marinette’s stomach twisted.

“Just used the most powerful and subtle weapon in the world,” Adrien shrugged, he kept looking at her but never to her eyes, “I made her believe I was perfect, kind, a _man worthy of love_ , and then she fell on her own,”

“You made the witch fall in love,” King Gabriel chuckled, “She followed you on her own!”

“Yes,” Adrien nodded, “I came back earlier than expected so I couldn’t introduce her myself, so I’m glad Nathalie found a way to bring her to the palace,”

Marinette was already lacking air, but her anxiety was only making it worse.

This couldn’t be happening, she couldn't have been wrong. This wasn’t Adrien, this wasn’t the man she loved.

“You did most of the job, your Highness,” Sancoeurs answered.

“Oh, well I guess I did,” He giggled, “And you know if you don’t let her recharge your plan will be useless, father,”

“You say so?”  
“Of course, the full moon won’t be enough, you need to have her in optimal conditions, and this ain't them,” He pointed at Marinette, a little disgusts on his eyes. “I was with her for two weeks, I’ve learned a lot,”

Marinette’s heart broke there.

This was happening, Adrien really had tricked her and she had fallen like a fool.

“Son,” The King wrapped one arm around Adrien’s shoulders, “Would you honor me with your help?”

“Of course, father,” He said, a smug smirk shone on his mouth, “You know I would do everything for you. _Everything,_ ”

Then, finally, before turning around and leaving the room, Adrien found her eyes. He blinked and his eyes changed to the ones of a cat.

Marinette sobbed so loud, not even the plaque could muffle it.

It all had been a lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i like my angst okay??  
> and gabriel is here!! (should i really put exclamation marks?? lol)  
> adrien baby what is you doing? 
> 
> hope you enjoyed!
> 
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	22. fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fear: an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.
> 
> we have unpleasant emotions, we have threats, we have danger, pain, and harm (i think we have had these for a while now don't you?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think you can tell that the first scene happens at the same time/before than the events of last chapter.  
> but just in case i'm making it more obvious: it's what happens before adrien appears on the room.

 

Nino and Kagami took him by his shoulders, helping him stand up but Adrien was a dead weight.

He was still crying and sobbing and he hadn’t been able to calm down in about ten minutes, it was Kagami that called the shots they had let him feel sorry for himself for far too long

“Bloody Saints, Adrien, get a grip!” Kagami’s hand clasped against his cheek.

Adrien didn’t react.

His mind was so busy that it went blank, his entire body was shutting down and he felt like he was falling into a deep dark hole.

He looked up and saw Plagg trying to approach him. There was sadness in his eyes. Adrien giggled miserably. Even the demon was feeling sorry for him.

Marinette was gone, if Nathalie had her and Marinette, the Witch of Creation had been not able to win then there was nothing he could do, his only chance was to be her reinforcement, and he couldn’t make it on time.

He should have left when it was time, he should have run away from her the moment he realized he loved her. Before he knew who she was, he knew he was putting her in danger. He was the Vampire Prince and she was a witch, nothing good could come from that, and yet he stayed.

How could he be so selfish?

“Adrien, please,” Nino begged. “Put yourself together,”

“I can’t,” He sobbed, “She… she…. I love her,”

“I know,”

Adrien leaned on Nino and stared at a death point in the distance. The image of a smiling Marinette ran in his mind. It was the type of smile she had when she was about to explain him something, the kind of smile she had when he was around. And he would never be able to see her again because he had been too late.

“We have to do something more,” Alya said.

He could see how hurt she was because instead of teletransporting herself, she walked her way to him.

“We can’t,” Adrien covered his mouth with his hand, repriming a louder sob.

“Listen,” Alya said between tears. She cupped one of Adrien’s cheeks, and turned his head to her, “Kertáh is a tricky land for deities like me, there’s not much I can do, but _you_ can,”

“There’s nothing left to do, I failed her, Alya” He hiccup.  

“You did not, but you sure will if you keep that attitude on,” Nino intervened. He squeezed Adrien’s shoulders, made him stand on his feet again, and give one harsh shook, “You’re smart, don’t let your emotions cloud your mind, Adrien. We’ll help you save her, but you need to give us a plan,”

“I don’t have a plan,” He sighed

“Then let’s come up with one,” Kagami said, entering the conversation, “You love the witch, do something about it. Stop crying and whining and think with the brain I know you have,”

But he didn’t have a plan, he had run out of ideas.

He couldn’t go alone to fight his father and Nathalie. He was strong and his powers could overshadow theirs, but they would be on alert, and his father would have probably drunk Marinette’s blood by now. With that boost, they could break him.

He couldn’t go with the three of them alone, they would die too.

Adrien roared.

He hit the tree behind them with one big blow.

The move made, his already torn up clothes, rip more, this time it was his left pocket, and something dropped from it when the last sewing yielded.

The golden jingle bell hit the red leaves. Adrien caught a glimpse of it and a plan sparked in his mind.

“Of fucking course!” Adrien said. He tugged his bangs excited.

He kneeled and took the gifted jingle bell between his thumb and index finger.

“What’s that?” Alya asked curiously, “It irradiates magic,”

“A call for help,” Adrien simply said.

“To who?” Nino asked.

He tried to take the bell from Adrien’s hand, but Adrien was fast enough to stop him.

“On my way here, I was contacted by a group that’s opposed to my father’s reign,” He was more like kidnapped, but those were only details, “They offered me help to take down my father and put me in the throne,”

“What?” Kagami said, her mouth fell open.

“Woah,” Nino rubbed his temples, “Just like that? They’re at your service?”

“No, they asked for some stuff to do once I’m king, but they were reasonable petitions,”

“Hey, hey, so you accepted?” Kagami said under her breath,  
“I did,”

“ _Adrien_ ,” Kagami and Nino said at the same time, but with different emotions dripping in their voices. Kagami was offended, Nino was excited.

“I have no time to explain, okay? Only that I wanted to change the government and our kingdom for a while, and you two know it, and this is the only way,”

“You’ll be betraying your family,” Kagami said stupefied.

“Not now,” He hissed, “Now we focus on, Nette,”

He took a step away from his group and scanned the forest.

He pointed the bell to the west, where the safe house of the opposition group was and then he jingled the bell two times, just like Max had commanded.

The bell didn’t emit a sound but it got warm.

“Now we wait?” Nino asked. He rolled one line of water around his index finger and splashed a few drops at Alya.

Alya flinched away but a small smile appeared on her mouth.

“I guess we don’t have a choice,” Adrien said, dejected, “I don’t have a better plan, and we need more people,”

Adrien sat on the ground, legs crossed and with his head on his hands. Nino imitated him.

“It’ll be okay, Adrien,” He touched his knee encouragingly. “We’ll get her back, we have to, I need to properly meet her, and since that _has_ to happen, there’s no way we are failing, the universe is on our side,”

Adrien smiled, “Sure..” He wasn’t convinced but Nino’s words helped, “You’ll like her. You saw how beautiful she is, but she is more than that, she is so smart, she is funny, she is stubborn and kind. She is magical,”

“If she made you love her so much, in _two_ weeks, she must be,”

“If I’m honest, I was a goner on day four,” He laughed.

He couldn’t remember what Marinette was brewing on her cauldron, only that she needed yellow rose petals and that she hadn’t used them in years, so she called for an old flask on the deep end of her shelves. When it reached her, she commanded the lid to open, not realizing it was full of dust and then her sneezings had started.

He had laughed so much, she had been so angry, well, faking to be angry because after a couple of seconds she was just faking not to laugh. It was that moment when he first thought that he was in love.

Adrien’s dared memory was replaced by his sense of alert. Something was moving in the forest, and it was coming to them.

Adrien and Nino stood up, getting in position to fight if they needed to. But as the mysterious stranger ran closer, they let go of the tension.

The smell was oddly familiar.

And the thrilled scream just made it official.

“ _Kagami_ ” Chloé appeared between the red branches. She jumped and made a pirouette in the air, landing in front of her girlfriend.

“Night night, Mimi-bae,” She said with her honey voice and threw herself to Kagami’s arms.

Kagami caught her but her face remained the same, yet she couldn’t fool anyone, her eyes gave away how happy she was to see her girlfriend.

“What are you doing here, Chloé?” She asked as Chloé left a trace of kisses on her cheek.  
“Aren’t you happy to see me?” Chloé pouted and fluttered her lashes.

“ _I am_ ,” Kagami said between clenched teeth, very low so no one else could hear. But they did anyway.

“I don’t want to break your sweet reunion but my best friend is dying somewhere in bloodsucker land, so is there a reason why you’re here?” Alya asked at the blonde girl.

Chloé rolled her eyes. She stopped hugging her girlfriend and stood with her usual “I’m better than you” stand, looking down at Alya.

She flickered the short pieces of hair on top of her shoulder and wiggled her fingers, framing her face.

“Adrien called for help, I’m the reinforcement!” Chloé smiled, showing up her shiny fangs.

“ _What?”_ All of them shouted, not believing it.

It couldn’t be, this was not the Chloé they knew. Why would Chloé be in an opposition group? This had to be some kind of joke.

“I’m the leader of the North front,” She explained, she looked so proud of it, her light blue eyes sparkled like diamonds, “And I’m one of the first members of the resistance, and well, I was on call so I came,”  
“You what?!” Adrien and Nino said at the unison.

One thing was for Chloé to be part of a rebel group, but she was a leader? And one of the first people to join? _Who was this woman?_

“Chloé…” Kagami shook her head, she didn’t seem to process the information she was just given.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Mimi. I didn’t want to get you in trouble,” Chloé said, bopping Kagami’s nose, “And you two don’t act so surprised, you’re hurting my feelings,”

“Chloé, you love being part of the nobility, this could cost you that,” Adrien said.

“Yes, I know, but I still have eyes and judgment. Your father is driving Kertáh to the ground, and you can fix it,”

“You… wait,” Adrien put his hands up and tilted his head, “Are you the one that convinced them to put me in the throne?”  
“I told them to give you a chance,” Chloé said, “You did the rest yourself,”

“Ah…” That was shocking.

“So, what do you need help with? It’s obviously not taking Gabriel down, you just came back from the reunion”

“It is about taking him down,” He nodded. Taking him down as in murdering him for touching the love of his life, but that was a given.

“I know you’re excited but you just said yes an hour ago,” Chloé rose a brow at him.

There was no time to lose, he was about to talk fast.

“He has the woman I love,” Adrien said, his voice was like a sword cutting through, “I need to save her and I know I can take him down if I want to, but they are at least three steps ahead of me. He wants to do something and I have no idea what it is, and he has Nathalie with him, one bad step and it’s all over, I kill myself and Marinette in the process,” _If she wasn’t dead yet,_ “I need back up, I need people to fight with me,”

“As in now?” Chloé asked she played with one piece of her hair around her finger.

“Yes, she is in danger now,” Adrien said, “She is a witch, Chloé”

Chloé made a horrified face but kept quiet, which was odd and actually made Adrien happy.

“My father has been chasing her for years and now he has her. I spent two weeks with her and I managed to fuck up everything, I need to save her,”

“Adrien,” Chloé gasped.

“Your mates, they said they would support me, anything I needed,”

“Ah.. yes, but Adrikins,

“Awesome, let’s move, we’re losing time,”

“Adrien, no,”

“What do you mean no?” Adrien and Alya shouted.

“We can’t do that,”

“But you..

“We can’t just go in a killing spree without a plan, we can’t just ace it out of the blue,” Chloé said, waving her hands in the air, “It’s ridiculous, Adrien!”

The air felt heavy all of a sudden. The change of atmosphere was something they all could feel, and Adrien didn’t like what that implied it.

“She is right,” Kagami backed her up. She took Chloé’s hand and intertwined her fingers with hers.

“You promised me back up!” Adrien’s rage leaked on his words.

He closed his hands in fists and he chirped his teeth.

It was part of the deal! Why would they give him a bell to call them if they weren’t going to do what they had promised it?

They wanted him as their King, so why weren’t they following his orders?

“And you’ll get it once you come up with a plan that could actually work,” Chloé said back, “Being impulsive is the worst strategy. You just said it, Adrien, he is three steps ahead of you, you don’t need to go and attack, you need to find a way to take four, if not five steps further, so you can win,”

“And what do you suggest?! He is probably torturing her right now! You just don’t care!”

The sole thought of all the ways Nathalie could be torturing Marinette made him physically ill.

Adrien took one step, ready to reach for Chloé and start fighting.

Kagami broke in, standing in the middle of him and Chloé, she pointed her sword at him.

“Don’t you dare,” Kagami warned, her eyes switching from liquid amber to raging red.

“Don’t worry, Mimi, Adrikins won’t hurt me, he is just angry,” Chloé said, rubbing the back of Kagami’s nape. “You need to cool down, Adrien,”

“What would you do if he had Kagami?! This is the best plan I can think of right now. I just want to save her!” Adrien sobbed, just realizing he was crying again. “If you have a better plan, then please tell me,”

Chloé crossed her arms in front of her chest a blew a raspberry.

“Of course _I_ have a better plan,” Chloé nodded. “You’re not going to like it, but the chances of winning are at least three times more than your impulsive plan.”

“Do tell, Chloé or I think Adrien is going to rip your throat apart,” Nino said.

“And I’ll help,” Alya stood by Adrien’s side, “We don’t have time to lose,”

“People saw Nathalie enter the palace, just a few minutes ago,” Chloé said, “We have some time,”

“ _Barely,_ ” Adrien marked the word.

“With my plan, we can win a lot of time,” Chloé said, “It’s quite good you see,”

“Honey,” Kagami whispered, “I love you and I know how much you like to put on a show, but you see I don’t want to take you home with a bleeding neck, so please, talk,”

Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose and inhaled deeply. He was about to lose it.

Chloé sighed. “Alright,”

“Finally,” Nino and Alya said tiresome.

Chloé glared at them, “I think Adrien needs to go back to the castle alone, face his father and play along with him, just act as if you’re in with his plan and that will buy us time to attack him,”

“What?!” Adrien said, thunderstruck. “Are you out of your bloody mind?!”

“Absolutely not, apparently I’m the only one being logical here,”

“Chlo,” Kagami brushed pieces of her blonde hair away from her face, “The girl smells like Adrien, it won’t work,”

“Of course it will, that only helps!” Chloé said, her hands in the air and jiggling them with joy, “Adrien said he spent two weeks with her, the smell will only confirm that. Adrien just has to go and make his father believe that he spent all that time with her stealing information, Gabriel will fall like a fool,”

“How is that going to help when I’m sure he already started draining her blood?!”

“You’ll walk in and you come up with a lie to stop him. You give the girl time to heal and then when we attack, we save her too,”

“She’ll be there!”

“Of course! What’s your point? Why are you being so difficult?”

“I’ll have to lie in front of her, she will be hurt and afraid, and I’ll stand there just like she meant nothing to me?”

“We’ll compel you, it’ll make it easier,”  
“Damn, it won't’!”

“Adrien,” Nino took his hand and pulled him away from the girls.

“I won’t make her believe I don’t love her! She is going to see me and she’ll think I’m there to help her! And then I won’t!”

“You will!”  
“No, bloody fuck I won’t! You know what _is_ helping? Snapping my father and Nathalie’s neck, then we take her out and she is safe!”

“You said it yourself you can’t fuck up! Your impulsivity will mess it all up,”

“I won’t betray her!”

“You won’t be betraying her, you’re giving her time! She is a witch, right? If you give her time to heal she’ll be able to do spells, she’ll be able to protect herself. That’s not betrayal,”

“She’ll think so because she won’t know about the plan,” Adrien panted, “She is gonna hate me. I’ll break her heart, I’ll break her,”

“So you rather watch her die?!” Chloé shouted and slapped him, “You rather her to be dead and knowing you love her than alive and with a broken heart?

“I…” It struck him there, that Chloé, as much as he hated to accepted it, had come up with a great plan.

He bit his lower lip and threw his head back. This was awful.

He inhaled deeply and shook his head.

He looked at Alya, he needed to know what she thought.

Alya opened her mouth, conflicted. Her eyes dropped and her body stiffened.

“Please,” He begged, he needed someone that loved Marinette as much as he did.

“I…” Alya gasped, “I don’t want to hurt her either but... it’s the best plan right now. Blondie here is right, I rather have her with a broken heart than without a heartbeat,”

Adrien nodded.

His shoulders fell and he blew all the air he was holding.

“Okay, I’ll do it,”

Silence reigned one more time in the forest.

Adrien stood in the middle of the group, waiting for them to proceed with the plan.

Alya took one step away.

She was still wary of vampires, and she didn’t feel comfortable so close to them, not when they surpassed her in number. Also, Adrien’s sadness was too strong and it was starting to drain her more than her own sadness was already doing.

“Shut down your power,” Kagami said, she pushed Nino and Chloé away. “I’ll compel you,”

Adrien nodded and met Kagami halfway. The girl reached for his face to start the charm.

“Wait,” Adrien said taking Kagami’s hands on his and pushing them away from his face, “Alya,” He called, looking over Kagami’s hair.

“Yes?” She asked from afar. She was floating again and looked at him with concern.

“I know I promised to walk away once she is safe,” He gulped, “But, at some point… once she healed and when you consider is time, can you… it’s a  lot to ask but-”

“I’ll make sure to tell her you loved her for real,” Alya said, going back to the ground and standing close to them again. 

She put her pinky and ring finger up and a flame sparked in a shade of orange so intense it didn’t look real.

Alya whispered something in a language Adrien didn’t know and then pressed her fingers around her wrist, leaving behind a perfect line.

“It’s an unbreakable promise,” Alya said, “I’ll tell Marinette you love her”

“You didn’t have to go so far,” Adrien giggled.

“Oh, but I had to,” Alya smiled.

“I like you, foxy lady,” Nino said, approaching her and crossing one arm around her shoulders, “You’re a good one,”

“Thank you, you’re not so horrible yourself,” Alya grinned.

Adrien smiled.

His sight came back to Kagami’s and put her hands against his cheeks.

Adrien blinked a few times, he rolled his shoulders and he lowered down his defenses.

“Now,” He ordered Kagami.

Their eyes meet in an intense look. Kagami’s eyes softened and she started whispering.

Compelling could be done without talking, but when you needed to be sure of it working, it was better to be very precise and ask it out loud.

“Once we get out of the forest and we are back in the palace, you’re going to interrupt your father, right?”

“Right,” Adrien answered, slowly feeling how he got trapped in the charm.

“Most probably is that your father will be with a witch, you know her and you love her,”

“To pieces,”

“She will be hurt, she will be in so much pain, maybe crying or calling for help,” Kagami took a second before continuing, “And that will probably hurt you too,”

  
“Yes,” Adrien answered, this time his voice was monotone, he was finally at Kagami’s mercy.

“But, you won't’ react. You’ll act like you don’t care,” Kagami whispered, “You’ll smile and will act as cocky as you can sometimes be around your father, making sure he believes you don’t feel nothing about this witch.” Adrien nodded, “You won’t feel a thing when you see her, no pain, no sadness, _no love_. You’ll know who she is, you’ll know what she means, deep down inside of you I’m sure you’ll know you love her, but in that moment she only will be a piece on this strategy game we are playing. Understood?”

“Understood,” Adrien agreed.

Kagami proceeded “You’ll only go back to who you really are and how you really act once there’s no danger, when your father has fallen for the hoax and then, _just then,_ your love for the witch-”

“Marinette,” Alya interrupted angrily.

Kagami rolled her eyes, “Your love for _Marinette_ will come back as it is, but not until you succeed, that part is important, Adrien. You’ll be able to help, you’ll be able to do all that your heart wants to save her _and_ your kingdom, but you’ll do it with a cold mind, your feelings won’t be part of your judgment,”

Adrien felt the change begin. He felt how his emotions started to fade. He had Marinette’s memory on his mind but he felt numbness taking over.

He thought of all the times he had hugged her, of the nights he spent with her, the times she had told him she loved him.

Nothing happened.  

“Will it work?” Alya asked.

Adrien shifted his body, ready to answer and to confirm that it was indeed working but Nino spoke first.

“Adrien is not impossible to compel, his power is too strong for any vampire to do it, but if he is willing then anyone can,” Nino explained to Alya, “And he is willing to do anything to save her. On the exterior it’ll look like he doesn’t care, he’ll be cold, but deep down all his moves will be made thinking about her. Believe me, I’ve known Adrien since I was six, there’s no way all his emotions disappear, he is made of them, and his love for Marinette is real, he wouldn’t have given her his mother’s necklace otherwise,”

“And what if he never convinces his father, what if he never gets back to love Marinette like he really does?”

Nino laughed, “Kagami’s compelling won’t last that long. I’ll give that command two or three days, then if we haven’t been lucky we’ll have to compel him again,”

“But, we’ll be lucky,” Adrien said, he was fixing his torn up blazer’s collar, “Let’s go back to the castle, we are only losing time,”

Adrien didn’t wait for them, he started running.

And only five minutes after he was entering an oval room shimmering under the moonlight, with a tortured witch in front of him and a father to trick.

Just like Kagami had commanded, he didn’t feel a thing when he saw her.

 

**xx**

 

Marinette had been moved into a little cell in the dungeons of the palace. And as afraid she had been of being left alone and dying there in the cold hard ground, she felt worse when the King and the Prince paid her a visit only minutes before leaving her behind in the oval room where she had been tortured.

Adrien had started talking, sharing all he had learned about Marinette in those two weeks.

Marinette could only hear half of what he said because sometimes he would start talking with his deep Kertáhn accent or switch to old dialects she had never studied.

“She is not good at exorcisms,” Adrien said, giving just another piece of information to his father. “Which makes me believe she had no training in the Spirit World department,”

Marinette’s skin was crawling.

They could rip her heart away and it would hurt less than watching the man she loved, _no_ , the man she had been tricked to love, spill a thousand of the millions of things she had told him.

Right now she didn’t know if her fear was louder than her anger or if it was the other way around. But one thing was sure, heartbreak was the unbeaten winner.

Marinette tried her best to keep her sight away from him, but unwittingly her eyes would take him in every chance they could.

He never lied of how handsome he was, the times she had seen him she had asserted it but now when she could study all his features at a short distance, she could only think that if gods existed, they would look like him.

Adrien knelt down, close to Marinette. He took her face and obligated her to look at him.

Tears accumulated on her eyes, her vision turned blurrier than before.

Adrien rubbed his thumb against the corner of Marinette’s mouth, playing with the ruthenium plate between her teeth.

“You know, father,” Adrien said, “With all that ruthenium, I doubt you’ll be able to use her magic,”

Marinette growled. Couldn’t he keep his mouth shut? As painful as the ruthenium was, Marinette had realized that it was the only reason why she still had time to figure it out some sort of plan, because she didn’t have the magic the Vampire King was looking for.  
“The ruthenium is necessary, son, do I have to explain it to you?” His father said with frustration.

“Oh, I know it makes witches weak but that’s probably why you can’t take her soul and why her blood was not energizing the pentagram,” Adrien stood up and walked around Marinette. “You’re taking away her magic, and your chances to make your plan work, whichever it is,”

“That does make sense,” The King said, rubbing his chin with his thumb and index finger.

“Of course it does,” Adrien grinned.

He stared into Marinette’s eyes and a soothing sensation run down her spine, a sensation that she couldn’t classify.

“Father, I spend two weeks making her fall in love with me so I have lots of useless information,” He cleared his throat, “What is that you want to do that you need her? Maybe if you enlightened me on the subject I could be more efficient with my information,”

“You haven't’ guessed yet, Adrien?” The King stood up from the metal bench “There is only one reason why I would go under all this trouble,”

Marinette shook her head, escaping from that sweet sensation. Adrien was asking for something she needed, she had to fully focus on the King’s next words. This could be her ticket back home.

Adrien could be an evil mastermind, a twisted man that played with her feelings, but he was the same man that thought he could bond with a demon and turn him into a familiar, and that naïve man was going to fuck up his own plan and make her succeed in hers.

 _“Mom,_ ” Adrien’s voice trembled and then he gasped.

He threw his hands up and he tugged his hair.

He did that when he was nervous, at least that was real.

He sat down next to his father. The King placed one hand on top of his shoulder and looked at him.

“With the witch’s blood and her soul, we can bring her back to us, Adrien,”

“How do you know that?” Adrien shook his head. He looked at him wide-eyed “It would really work?”

“She is creation, Adrien,” The King said as it was obvious, “She can do many things, or well this one can’t, she lacks training but, with her powers, we can make a connection with the Spirit World, we only need that to bring your mother back,”

Marinette’s world stopped. That’s why he needed her, he needed to make a bond between the Spirit World and their dimension.  But, bring someone back from the dead? Like actually doing it? That wasn’t possible, was it?

It was nothing like summoning zombies, those were bodies and then you created this fake spirits to take over them, but they didn't think, they weren't people, it was all artificial and you could shut it down with magic whenever you wanted it to. 

Bringing a real spirit back to the living world.... No one had ever done it, how could he be so sure that her magic could do it?

“But.. how could she live with us?” Adrien rubbed his temples, he looked as confused as Marinette felt. “She would be a spirit.. she’ll be a ghost, and here in Kertáh, we don’t have ghosts here dad,”

“I have preserved her body,” Marinette’ coughed at the revelation.

Did he preserve her body? How did he think of doing that? His wife had died and his first thought was to keep her body… that could mean that he already had his plan in mind.

That was eerie and it meant that he knew his wife was going to die.

Marinette curled on the floor, disgusted.

Vampires were immortal, they Were cursed to live for eternity by the deities. They would all grow until they were around thirty, sometimes in rare cases older, and they would stop aging and stay like that forever. After centuries, deities offered a new possibility: death. You had to go under a ritual to take away your immortality, and while most of the oldest vampires had taken the offer, newborns were reluctant.

King Gabriel Agreste was only a hundred years and he had only taken over the throne thirty-five years ago, he had married his wife a little before that, and Marinette knew she was younger than him, so her death was extremely odd.

Something had to have happened and the King knew it.

“Alright,” Adrien gasped, “I want her back too, father,”

Marinette’s heart ached for him, and then she remembered he was a traitor. Somehow she still couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that he was a liar. She would hate him one second and get hit by her madly love for him the other.

Why was it so hard to understand that he had lied?

_Because it doesn’t make any sense._

There was a missing piece here, she could feel it. Or was this just the delirium of her mind, trying to reach for something to hold on as she fell off the cliff.

“I still don’t understand why you’re so sure about the effectiveness of the plan, father,” Adrien said, “She never mentioned something like this,”  
“Of course she hasn’t,” The King laughed, “The old witches of the Court would never tell a Queen in training anything, they wait until they think she is powerful enough to take down the world, but until then they keep her away from the world. Their Queen is so important to them that they will keep her under lock and key if necessary, just like they did with her. They can’t lose her,”

“But they need her, isn’t it dumb to keep her in the dark, to not train her?” Adrien stood up and walked back to Marinette’s side, “Just look at her, she can’t even escape the ruthenium,”

“She holds the power of the universe inside her, son,” He stood and followed Adrien. He looked her down and smiled, “She is nothing but a vessel, she is what allows all the other witches to have their magic. They train her to be a weapon if necessary, they crown her as queen because she is the symbol of their power, but really the only reason why they care about her is because without her, their magic is weak. Every time a queen dies the magic needs to find another vessel, a worthy vessel and it can take some time. Those are the worst times for witches and they don’t even know it, only The Witch Court has this knowledge,”

“And how do you know it?” Adrien rose a brow.

Marinette was so glad that Adrien was doing all the right questions, it was almost as if he was asking them for her to hear.

“Oh, son, sometimes I forget you are so young,” He gave a soft slap on Adrien’s cheek, “Nathalie, she is not an ordinary witch you know?”

“I know,”

Marinette trembled at the sound of her name. She knew she was powerful, but did she have a connection to The Court? Was that what the King was trying to say?

“As any dark witch out there, she was once loyal to _Ifyuru,_ but grew tired of their rigid structure and their weakness. She knew _Ifyuru_ could be so much more than what it was, but no one else agreed,”

Adrien opened his mouth but didn’t talk. He was probably thinking the same Marinette was thinking.

“She was part of them,” Adrien gasped. His father nodded, “That’s why you’re so sure because she believes it can be done,”

“Yes,” The King nodded, “There’s so much about the Powers of Creation that not even The Court knows, but Nathalie is sure this is plausible,”

“Then why does she have the witch with ruthenium?” Adrien said, coming back to the original suspect.

“As I said, they don’t know everything about her power, and it hasn’t been done before, we were taking precautions,”  
“Well, I think that if you are so sure, we don’t waste the chance,” Adrien said, “We can keep her with your venom, that will slumber her enough for us to use her,”

“I knew I could count on you, son,” He hugged him fast. Adrien couldn’t give the hug back. “Let’s go, we have stuff to get done,”

“Sure, should I take the chains?” Adrien asked.

“No, no, I’ll send someone else,” The King waved his hand dismissing the suggestion.

Marinette saw him walking to the door of the cells, the knight guarding the door opened it, and the King walked away.

Adrien shifted on his feet, making an obnoxious sound, then he kneeled down one more time in front of her.

Marinette frowned at him, sending all the bad vibes she was feeling in his direction, hoping a little of magic would be present and attack him.

“Don’t get too comfortable, you won’t be here for long,” Adrien’s eyes were dead when he said this and his voice was emotionless.

She had never seen him like this, he was pure emotion when he was with her. She had been mad before, she had been broken before but seeing him showing all his disinterest, how little he cared about her that he couldn’t even put on a malicious smile on his face, was the last straw.

Marinette felt like combusting and her magic reacted for her.

One of the chains lifted from the ground and hit Adrien on his face.

He fell to the side, he didn’t scream or whine, he just fell.

He stood up pretty quickly, revealing his still expressionless face getting covered in blood.

Marinette gulped.

She was proud but she was feeling guilty too. She still loved him after all.

Adrien gasped, he opened his mouth to say something but it looked like at the last minute he decided she wasn’t worth it.

He pressed his hand against his forehead, where the wound was and looked at her one last time before leaving, closing the door cell behind him.

Marinette broke down in tears only seconds after. She was surprised she still had the energy for that, because for anything else she may as well be dead already.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chloé is here!  
> okay but did you really think mr. "im going on a killing spree to avenge my girl" was going to just lose his opportunity to break some necks? no he wouldn't, this was all because of chloé, the poor boy only wants to get rid of the problem from the root but he keeps stumbling with more obstacles. he must be so frustrated. 
> 
> and we know what gabriel wants! (what he always does lol) 
> 
> hope you enjoyed!
> 
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	23. vampbug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> vampbug: vampire+bug. 
> 
>  
> 
> this doesn't make any sense if you're not in this fandom i guess lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a monster.  
> pros: i learned that i can write around 8k words in a day and a half.  
> cons: i don't have a brain left. 
> 
> enjoy!

Adrien had royal duties the whole day.

He put on his Perfect Prince Attitude and went through the meetings and duties with a fake smile on his face.

The stress of the last night was still all over his body.

The compelling spell had ended, just like Nino predicted, three days had been enough for his powers to snap out of it and the result had not been pretty.

Every emotion he had been prohibited to feel bloomed like cherry blossoms in the spring and he had burned.

He had to be stopped by all his friends so he wouldn’t go and kill his father on his sleep, ruining the plan.

In his head, all the images of a broken Marinette were moving him to murder anyone who had even dared to maliciously smile at her.

The only reason he had not gone, was because of Alya, who still believed this plan was the one. She was broken too, and she was sticking to it, so Adrien did too.

Twenty minutes later after his break down, he was back to numbness.

He couldn’t feel any emotion related to her now, but he still felt the need to visit her, it was the sole thought on his mind as he went through the tiresome royal duties, which were more insufferable thanks to his heavy limbs and lack of sleep.

Luckily, he was about to finish his last meeting of the day, then he could leave the castle.

Adrien touched his forehead, where the chain had hit him. It still hurt if he pressed but the initial pain was gone.

Marinette had good aim, and she was strong, she had really left him stunned for a whole day, and quite useless for two more.

Even if he couldn’t feel anything towards her at the moment, he thought that it was something to celebrate, and he could categorize the thoughts he was having as being proud.

“Prince Adrien,” Senator Tsurugi, Kagami’s father called for his attention.

“Yes, Senator?” Adrien asked standing from his seat to show respect.

“Do you have any questions? You’ve shown interest about this subject before your disappearance,”

Adrien saw the maps and papers exposed on the chalkboard, taking in the information for the first time in the whole time he was there in the room. Indeed, he was very interested in the external affairs Ketáh was having but right now he couldn’t get invested in them.

“No questions, Senator, your exposition was quite clear, I also need to catch up with all the things I’ve missed so I don’t consider polite to ask you anything without having the right information,” He answered, giving a fake smile in return.

“Of course, Prince, couldn’t expect anything else from you,” He smiled at him and bowed.

Adrien bowed back and then to the other members of the Senate and walked away from the room.

Adrien checked the watch on his wrist, rolling the leather strap to get a better view. It was still pretty early on the day, twilight was an hour away, which meant he still had time to go to the dungeons.

But first, he made a visit to the kitchen.

It was quick, he had been sneaking in the kitchen for years now. He knew the best spots to hide and the routine of the whole staff, he knew when to move and when to change hiding spots and where the best food was kept.

Today he took a piece of the Veela cloud cake he had asked the bakers to make and take to Marinette’s cell. It was his favorite, hopefully, she’ll like it too. And that’s what good boyfriends did, right? Take care of their girlfriends even when they were in their worst shape. At least that’s what the rational part of his brain was telling him.

Besides the cake, he took a plate full with cheese, put it on a napkin, and left the kitchen.

He walked down the hallway and started to count the seconds it took Plagg to appear again. The demon would come and go as he pleased, but he always came back when Adrien had food.

It took him fifteen seconds this time.

Adrien didn’t wait for him to ask. He opened the napkin took two pieces of cheese and threw them in the air. Plagg caught both with his mouth and swallowed.

“I knew you were a great choice,” He said with his mouth full

“Well, thank you,” Adrien said ate a piece of his cake.

He turned left in one of the less crowded hallways and took a detour of his usual route, yet if people saw him they would still think he was going to his room.

“Are we visiting the girl, again?” Plagg asked, taking another piece of cheese from Adrien’s head.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Adrien shrugged.

“I don’t understand why you want to,” He answered, “You’re fine when you’re under the charm but I saw you coming back to your senses, you lost your mind,”  
“She is my girlfriend, right?” Adrien titled his head, “Or at least that’s what I wished she saw… it’s confusing, without feelings I don’t know how to express it, but that doesn’t matter. I consider important to visit her,”  
“I consider it dumb,” If the voice wasn’t from a girl, Adrien would have been sure that it had been Plagg.

“What brings you here, Chloé?” Adrien asked, leaning against the frame of the door, waiting for her to approach.

“You,” Chloé answered.

She gave a little jump and landed in front of him.

“If Gabriel knows you’ve been visiting her,” Chloé pulled him from his shoulder, rolled his body and pushed him to cross the door “Do you need a stronger compelling? Is that it?”

“I don’t feel a thing for the girl,” Adrien answered, “It just makes sense to visit her,”  
“It does not,” Chloé argued, “The guards will talk and our plan will go down the drain,”

“I’m trying to see for myself if she is ready for the plan,” Adrien said, coming up with a good lie, “My father is eating from my hand, relax,”

“No he is not, he still has doubts,” Chloé sighed and stopped pushing him. She walked to a window and started opening it,  “The compelling only went away because your powers erased it, Kagami has compelled you again and is staying, which means your father is still cautious to believe you’re actually helping,”

“What else does he wants? I’ve given him all the information I know,”

“You have given him useless information, and he knows it,”  
“I can’t give him actual information, I actually don’t know much about the girl either,”  
“Yet you’re in love,”  
“Apparently,” Adrien shrugged, “Without feeling anything, she manages to consume my thoughts,”

“You fell really hard this time, didn’t you?” Chloé huffed, and spun, taking one step closer to him so her short ponytail would hit Adrien’s face.

Chloé pulled herself up the window with her arms and jumped. Adrien came near the window and looked down. Chloé had landed safely and was waving at him

She put her hands at each side of her mouth and shouted at him

“Make sure your visit is short, we have stuff to do!”

She started running in the direction to the Red Spiral Forest and faded away in the distance.

**xx**

Marinette was dozing off.

Her body felt heavy and her stomach kept twisting and contracting, she felt like she would puke her guts out at any given minute.

The ruthenium chains and the plate on her mouth were long gone, a pair of servants had arrived a few hours after Adrien had left and freed her.

They left another whip-shaped like a snake instead, that every six to seven hours would bite her and inject her with venom.

She had kept track of it, the night of the second day she had it all figured it out.

It wasn’t the most precise job, because sometimes she would feel the poison fading away -not completely, of course, it would never go completely- but sometimes she felt stronger.

Right now was one of those times.

She moved on her cell at a slow pace, leaning on the walls to give one step at a time.

She could feel her magic restoring, the power running through her veins but if she couldn’t keep herself balanced then she wasn’t going anywhere.

She needed to come up with an antidote quickly. Sadly, there was no much to work with.

There were rocks and water, and food. Today it was noodles with some seafood on top, and veela cloud cake.

She was still surprised that they weren’t feeding her with only bread and water like a good old prisoner anymore, that had changed on day two, and she was brought real food, not the best food around, but food.

And today, on day fourth she had dessert.

It was odd, so she didn’t eat it. Who knew what that could have, what poison or charm was in between the sugar and flour to make her do whatever the King wanted her to do.

And she was too nauseous to eat anything anyway, no matter how delicious it looked.

She sat down close to the cell bars and in front of the food. She pointed a finger at the plate and twirled it around, making the noodles float in the air. It was still hard to lift things, but she was stabilizing quickly, she just had to keep using magic.  

She dropped the noodles back to the plate and bent her elbows, she put her hands on top of her shoulders, touching the snake whips, the little remains of ruthenium were able to burn through her skin but she resisted.

Marinette muttered different spells in a matter of seconds, looking for one to work.

She threw ice, tried to disintegrate the metal, try to do a transformation, change of shape and nothing worked, she was still too weak.

She was throwing fire to the snakes, biting her lip to not scream when her body stopped on its own. Her hands dropped to her side and the fire extinguished.

“Don’t do that,” The voice echoed in the room and she followed the order.

She didn’t need to look, Adrien was here on his daily visit.

Why couldn’t he stay away? It was like he enjoyed watching her suffer. He already knew he succeeded in making her fall in love, why did he have to keep the wound open?

“You’ll hurt your arms if you keep doing that,” Marinette pretended not to look at him but she really was looking at his face.

The bandage he had had for the past few days was gone, the stitches and the red scar were on display right now.

Adrien coughed, and Marinette looked away from his face. Focusing on his body, trying to read him.  

He rolled his shoulders, throwing back the long black cape he was wearing.

He was wearing full-on prince attire today, the only thing missing was his crown.

Marinette huffed, blowing the pieces of her hair in front of her face away. If only he had his crown, then maybe she could use her magic and steal it. A crown would have enough minerals to create something with it and plan her escape.

Adrien leaned against the wall, watching her from above. Marinette pushed her body away, stumbling and hitting the plate with food and the glass of water, spilling it all.

“You’re not drinking any water,” Adrien said taking the glass on his hand. He offered a hand to help her stand up.

“Fuck you,” Marinette spat, and crawled away from him, feeling too weak to stand up and move faster.

“You already did that,” Adrien said, stating it like a fact, no emotion running on his words. Marinette felt her cheeks burn, she was so angry and embarrassed. “Now you _need_ to drink water,”

“Idon’tneedtodoanythingyousay,” Marinette stumbled over her words.

“You don’t need to drive yourself to death just because you’re hurt,” Marinette tried to read his expression this time, but once again there was nothing on his eyes.

Marinette remembered Adrien’s eyes, even when he had cat eyes he held a pool of emotions inside of them, they would tell more than any smile or body move, and now they were empty.

Had she dreamt him? So it seemed.

Actually, he was more powerful than she could ever imagine. She had been compelled and she never noticed.

But, that time in the bathtub… she felt different that time, and he explained that he had certain abilities to make her feel like that. She never felt like that again, which will make her conclude that he never used that ability on her again…

Marinette looked at Adrien again, he was still extending his hand to her.

There was a piece of the puzzle that didn’t fit in here.

“You…” Marinette was cut by the bite of the snake whips, piercing through the sore skin of her neck.

She moaned in pain and twisted on the floor. The effect was worse as she had more doses. It didn’t matter how strong she would start to feel, it was harder every time the snakes bit.

Enraged and nauseous, Marinette felt her magic activate again. It was the only pro of the pain, her magic reacted on her own.

Through her blurry vision, Marinette saw the cake.

She clicked her tongue and guided the ammo with her eyes.

The cake levitated from the plate and at the speed of a shooting star, it hit Adrien on the face.

The groan followed the splat quickly.

Marinette chuckled.

The cake was not as hurtful as the chains, but it was just as satisficing.

The joyful sensation of the magic wore off five seconds later, and Marinette fell to the floor.

She covered her mouth with her hands and gagged. Something didn’t sit well on her stomach, strange considering she had barely touched her food yesterday, and not at all today.

She grabbed the metal bench as her body quivered with the constant spasms.

The snakes had stayed longer than any other time. That dose had been major, it was stronger and heavier than any other dose before and she could feel it.

She was taken by her wrist and twisted. Adrien pulled her to him and checked her from head to toe.

Marinette shook her arm, pulling away of his grip.

Adrien took her again, she pushed away from the hand covering her mouth and passed his hand on the back of his neck.

Marinette saw his face, remainings of cake cream were all over his face. She half chuckled, a gag interrupting her entertainment.

Adrien sighed.

He pulled her body close to him, he pressed his forehead against hers and locked his sight with hers.

Marinette wasn’t able to push him away or to use her magic to stop his compelling powers, her body was weak and not responding.

“Drink. water.” Each word was said with determination and with the shadow of a mysterious emotion.

He let go of her and left the room as quickly as he had come, just like all those times before.

Marinette resisted the urge of following his order. She focused on erasing the command of her mind because there was no way she was drinking water now. If he was so adamant of her drinking it, then something had to be in the water.

Marinette entangled her arms around the chain that kept the bench on its place and closed her eyes.

She was not going to move. She was not going to drink the water.

She was not going to. She was not going to let the Agrestes win.

 

**xx**

After his disastrous visit to the dungeons, Adrien followed Chloé’s instructions and went to the safe house.

He left Plagg behind, who said he didn’t feel like being around other people and that he preferred to stay and eat cheese on Adrien’s room.

Adrien didn’t fight him on that.

He arrived at the safe house at twilight and Alix welcomed him with an amicable punch on his shoulder.

Which almost drives Max nuts.

If he had his emotions, he would probably be laughing on the floor, instead, he was putting on a kind smile.

They took him to a dark room, lightened by a few candles and jars of fairy dust stuck on the roof. It was bigger than any other room in the safe house, it had three blackboards and a cork board with pinned papers of plans and tactics on it.

Adrien had been sitting on the best chair on the room, but after seeing Chloé’s pout he offered the comfy chair and now was sitting on a metal chair that was unbalanced.

Once he started talking, it didn’t take long for someone to notice that he was not acting like himself.

“What is going on with him?” Kim said, entering the room they were holding the meeting.

“I’m compelled,” Adrien answered, and twisted the pen he was holding over his fingers.

“What?!” The people on the table shouting at the unison.

“I’ve already filled you up on loverboy here,” Chloé clicked her tongue, “He couldn’t pretend in front of Gabriel without the charm, so now we have a numb man in front of us,”

“Sad, we liked your humor,” Alix teased with a toothy grin.

“Sometimes it comes up,” Adrien winked.

“No, he just ends up being cocky,” Chloé said.

“You would know of that,” Adrien smirked.

Kim and Alix laughed and hit the table with their fists.

“Can you two restrain from being yourselves?” Chloé rolled her eyes, “Or at least be a little lower,”

Alix stuck her tongue at her. Kim just frowned.

“We should start the meeting,” Max said, he sat down on a chair next to Adrien and poured folders and papers on the table.

“Are the other leaders coming too?” Adrien asked. He already knew Alix was the leader of the south sector, Chloé was from the north, where were the west and the east?”

“They’re busy recruiting people. You want us to act fast so we thought it was better if they stayed on the field,” Chloé explained. “You’ll know them at some point,”

Adrien nodded.

He took one of the folders on the table and leaf through it. They were pages with multiple records of all of Gabriel’s moves in the last five years.

And if this folder was only from the past five years, he would need at least a month to properly analyze each of the folders on the table. There was no time for that.

He threw the folder back on the table and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He leaned back and started playing with the chair, holding it with the balance of his body.

“So, why am I here?”

“Chloé and Max have come up with a plan to take your witch out of the dungeons, without compromising our mission,” Alix explained.

“Her name is Marinette,” Adrien said, “You should be more respectful towards her, you call me by my name and my title,”

“You’re the Prince of our people, she is just a witch,” Kim said.

“She is the future Witch Queen,” Adrien said. Glaring at them.

“You are in love with the Witch of Creation?!” Kim choked with his own air and started coughing.

Max and Alix were just as astonished.

“Well,” Adrien started

“He is,” Chloé answered instead of him, “Madly and truly in love with her, so yeah, we better be respectful or once he wins back his emotions he is going to snap our necks,”

“He wouldn’t,” Alix waved her hand, brushing it off.

“I already threatened, Chloé, and I know her since I’m three,” Adrien said, remembering the scene he had put on the forest.

“Woah, I like him more every time,” Alix pointed at him as he laughed.

“Is she in love with you too?” Max inquired.

Adrien bit his lip and titled.

Was she? She had been, that’s why she came to Kertáh, but after all that had happened, he wasn’t sure she still felt anything but hate towards him.

“I hope?” Adrien answered, doubtful.

“Why do you ask that?” Kim said, leaning towards Max and poking his cheek.

“We can use her to win,” Max said, and pushed Kim away, “She is a weapon,”

“Only if she agrees,” Adrien said, “If not, she is danger,”

“It was always an open secret that the King wanted to catch her, now you’re telling me that it was true. The King has made her life miserable, I bet she says yes,” Max said.

“Maybe she just doesn’t want anything to do with me and she runs away, it would make sense,” Adrien leaned forward, pressing his hands on the table, “She just wants peace and quiet, not to join a revolution that has nothing to do with her,”

“I think that’s what _you_ want,” Alix said, “You want her to be safe, you don’t want to put her at risk. But, Chloé told us that she gave the King’s Slayer a good fight, I’ll say the girl has claws, she won’t back up, I think she wants this business to be over and taking down the King is the only way,”

“You don’t know her,” Adrien answered.

“Neither do you,” Chloé pointed out.

She stood up from her seat and walked around the room, stopping in front of one of the blackboards, she took one piece of chalk and started writing a list.

She wrote down a few numbers, Adrien, Nino, and Kagami’s names, then at the other side of that list, she wrote down: King, Nathalie, army, Senators, Ministers, and a plus sign.

“Look at this, Adrien,” She pointed out, “This is us, around seven hundred people, more if the leaders have convinced people to join, then it is us, the offsprings of the nobility, of us four, Nino is the best at combat and defense, my Mimi is great at short distances, but she won’t be super useful on a big battlefield -don’t you dare tell her that-, you’re great at compelling but I don’t think you can compel that many people or objects at once, and I’m just good with my whip,” Chloé sighed, “We have lots of people that have extraordinary abilities, but we lack the numbers, and we are against the King who rules the land, so he already has an advantage, and he has Nathalie, she is crazy and powerful, she’ll kill us all in two seconds,”

“I can kill, Nathalie,” Adrien said with confidence.

“No, you can’t,” Chloé argued, “Or maybe yes, but we are not sure. Our fight is noble but it depends on so many factors, but if we have the wi-- Marinette, if Marinette joins us, we can win,”

“This is not her fight,”

“It became her fight when Gabriel intervened in her life,” Chloé lifted her chin and pouted, “She is our only chance,”

“She is still in a cell, Chloé and she hates me,”

“She won’t hate you once we take her out,” Alix said, “And we can take her out,”

“Yes, let us tell you the plan, your Highness,” Max said.

He ran his hands on top of the folders, looking for one in particular.

“Tell us a little of how she is doing, you just saw her,” Chloé ordered.

“She is not good,” Adrien sighed,  “I made my father take away the ruthenium, most of it at least, she still has two snakes around her arms and shoulders with remains of it, but that’s not so bad considering she is drugged with venom,” Adrien explained, “And she is not drinking any water, which is terrible because the venom won’t dilute. So, as you can tell, she isn’t useful, not even to her own cause,”

“We can fix that,” Max and Chloé said at the same time.

“How?” Adrien opened his arms and shook his head.

“You dropped this the last time you were here,” Max said and took something out of his pocket.

The gold circular necklace was familiar but it took a few seconds before Adrien could realize that it was the necklace Marinette had gave him, the necklace that held a charm for illusions and that allowed him to turn into a Flaga and a human.

“This is perfect,” Max took it behind his hands like it was made of the most precious material in the world balancing the object, “Now it makes sense that I was so enchanted by it,”

“Breath buddy, you’re starstruck,” Kim hit his elbow on his rib cage.

“You don’t get it. You can’t feel it but _I_ do, and I’m not even a pureblood,” He whispered, “Her magic is so clean, so strong, this object feels like the essence of magic… it really was built by the Witch of Creation,”

“It was,” Adrien nodded, “What does it have to do with the plan to take Nette out of the cell?”

“When I picked it up I was just curious about it, but when Chloé came and told us all your problems and asked for a plan, this wonderful piece was the inspiration,”

“An illusion won’t fool my father,”

“We know,” Chloé pressed her hands on his shoulders and patted him, “That’s why we won’t only use illusions,”

Interested flicked on Adrien’s eyes, something told him what he was about to hear was good.

A collective gasp took over the room. Adrien furrowed his eyebrows, confused.

“What is it?”

“Your ey-ey-yes,” Max stuttered, pointing at him with his index finger.

“What about them?” Adrien rose a brow.

“They changed, they were like the ones of a cat!”

“Oh… really?” Why had they changed? Plagg wasn’t here.

“Yes,” Max stood up and circled Adrien, studying him from every angle, “Has it happened before?”

“Mimi-bae told me he changed into a cat in the woods,” Chloé said, looking at her nails as Max kept staring in their direction.

“How did you do that?” Kim asked, he jumped off his chair and it fell.

“Oh… I think I’ve made a connection with a demon,” Adrien explained.

“But that would mean you have witch blood?” Alix said, mouth open in surprise.

“I seem to have, and the demon seems willing,” Adrien chuckled, as a reflex more than anything else “He is obsessed with food, I’m convenient,”

“That’s impressive, your Highness,” Max said, “Your eyes, they are your witch mark,”

“But it disappears,” Kim said, looking at Adrien right next to Max.

“The witch blood must be next to nothing, it would explain it,” Max said to Kim.

“Listen I’ll love to hear all about witch marks, later on, right now I want to hear the plan,” Adrien said, getting tired of where the conversation was heading.

“Oh, yes, forgive me, your highness,” Max nodded

“So, Adrikins,” Chloé said with a playful voice. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her head against his shoulder, “Have you ever seen a brand new zombie before?”

**xx**

Marinette couldn’t feel her body anymore but she knew she was still convulsing. She was rolling on the floor and she kept gagging every once in a while.

She could taste the metallic flavour on her tongue and through her blurry vision, she could see the dark liquid coming out of her mouth.

The only sensation she had was the warm tingle coming from inside her. She had never felt the power of creation so strongly as in that moment.

She was always pushing it away. She was always changing it and hiding it on the deepest corner, but right now it had found a way out.

It seemed to be asking her, begging her to be used. Marinette had her doubts.

Her body was weak and she needed it to make a correct use of her magic, if she let the energy take over her, there was no way to assure she could stop it. The magic could take control of her and break her, and the Vampire King had said it better than anyone, she was just a vessel. Terribles thing could happen if she let the power loose.

Nonetheless, if she didn’t use it she was going to die and she didn’t want to die.

She wanted to see the world, she wanted to be more than what she had been pushed to be, and being more selfless, she wouldn’t wish her fate to any other person, and if she died it meant that she would give her suffering to another girl. Another girl that would be hunt by the monster that ruled over Kertáh.

She couldn’t let that happen.

She had to take the risk.

**xx**

 

Adrien thought the plan was magnificent.

After years of underestimating Chloé who would have known she was such a strategic genius. He loved the girl but she always came up as shallow and mean, it was nice to see this facet of her.

They were back in the palace, walking through the catacombs, dragging a heavy package with them.

“We need to go to my room,” Adrien explained, “Alya is staying there,”

“Can we just call her?” Chloé groaned, “Foxy, foxy, come here good girl,”

“Chloé that won’t work because--”

“Ah!” Chloé screamed.

She stopped pulling from the rope which made Adrien and Max stumble. They turned around to see her frowning at the floating deity looking at her with hate and pulling of her hair.

“Let go of me,” Chloé hissed

“I’m not a dog, call me like that again and you’ll see worse,” Alya threatened.

“Oh, yeah, you think you’re so--

“Chloé stop,” Adrien cut, then he looked at Alya, “How did you appear here?”

“I can appear in the whole castle now,” Alya shrugged, “I’m just as surprised as you,”

“Nino is full of surprises,” Adrien said which made Alya smile and blush a little.

“What is that you’re carrying?” Alya twirled in the air.

She looked down at the package, her feet over her head, her dress falling on top of Chloé’s hair, who whined angrily.

“This is Marinette’s way out of that cell,” Adrien explained.

He squatted and took the rope around the body, untying it and dropping the cloth that was around the body, revealing the undead body of a girl.

“Uh,” Alya gagged, “Is that a zombie? No, it can be, it’s so new...”

“It _is_ a zombie,” Max explained. “The body is mostly new and I re-constructed well enough, the spirit taking over it will follow all our orders, but it needs its final touch,”

“What is it?” Alya asked. Leaning closer to the body and poking it with a small branch that she made appear.

“A memory,” He said, “Prince Adrien said you’re the Princess’ best friend,”

“I am,” Alya nodded, “Wait, Princess? You told them about M?”

“They’re trustworthy, Lya,” Adrien assured her, “Max here is half warlock himself,”

“A hybrid of a vampire and a witch?” Alya gasped, she shot one look at Adrien, “So you two aren’t so rare, uh?”

“It’s not time to think about that, please focus on what’s important,” Adrien scolded her. “We need you to cooperate,”

“You’re funnier when you have feelings,” Alya blew dust on his direction, “Tell me what to do, little warlock,”

“Sure, miss,” Max nodded, “I need a piece of your memory and the Prince’s to create a personality for the spirit I put on the zombie,” He said, “We’ll use this necklace to create an illusion that will look like Princess Marinette, but we need a personality to completely convince the King,”

“That’s brilliant,” Alya said impressed. She landed on the ground and took the necklace out of Max’s hands, “This is M’s,”

“Yes,” Max nodded, “It’s the key to our success, with it there’s no way we won’t make it,”

“I really like this plan,” Alya grinned, “C’mon, warlock take my memory, I’ll give you the best of Marinette,”

Max nodded.

He snapped his fingers and a green glowing sphere appeared on both of his hands.

He called Alya and Adrien to stand in front of him and they indulged.

Max stood close to them, and with his index finger, he guided the sphere to their left temple. The sphere got inside their head and Max started whispering.

A minute later, the sphere went out at the other side of their minds and Max called for them to go back to him. Chloé stood a few meters away, checking the perimeter.

He joined the spheres, creating a bigger one and took it between his thumb and index finger.

He twirled his fingers on his free hand and the zombie stood up. It opened its eyes and walked near the warlock.

Max stood in front and pressed the sphere on the center of the zombie’s forehead.

“The someone you were is gone, and the one you’re about to be under orders will go. To follow my instructions will be your main goal, take this insight I give to you and make it your own,” He ordered and the zombie nodded.

Max extended his hand to Alya. She put the necklace on his hand, and Max pressed it against his palm.

He rolled the chain three times and then put the necklace on the zombie. Its semblance changed immediately, turning into a perfect replica of the Marinette Adrien had seen early on in the cell.

Alya gasped, “Is that how she looks now?”

“Yes,” Adrien nodded.

“Oh, no,” Alya sobbed, “My poor girl,”

“We are about to take her out,” Chloé reminded her.

“Then let’s do it fast,” Alya started to run, only to be stopped by a door opening and hitting her on the face.

She dropped, falling on her back.

Adrien winced.

“Bloody Saints! I’m sorry!” Nino said, he closed the door behind him and kneeled to help Alya stand up.

“Don’t worry, it’s what happens to me when I don’t use my powers,” Alya rubbed her forehead and her nose, “I’m not used to it,”

Nino brushed pieces of her hair away and pressed one hand against her lower back, keeping her on her feet.

“Hey,” Alya said wrinkling her nose

“Yes?” Nino asked worriedly

“Thank you so much,”

“For what?” Nino asked with a shamefaced expression.

“The holy water,” Alya said, all smiley like she hadn’t just been hit with a metal door.

“I told you it was easy-peasy, and you already said thank you,”  
“Yes, I know but…” Alya cleared her throat, “I can appear in the whole castle now,”

“Well, if I’m gonna do a job I’m gonna do it right,”

“A great job indeed,” Alya looked at him with soft eyes.

“We need to go,” Adrien said, with just one look reminding Alya how eager she had been about leaving the catacombs.

Nino glared at him. “I can’t wait to have your drama queen personality back, it’s so much better than this,”

“Yes, but he is right,” Alya said, “We need to make a barter,”

**xx**

The vampires smelled the disaster before they could enter the dungeons.

The four of them got tense and started walking cautiously.

Nino caught Alya’s hand and brought her to the floor, warning her about the imminent danger.

Chloé and Max stayed with the zombie as Adrien, Nino and Alya ran through the dark hallways to Marinette’s cell.

The smell of death hit them a few meters before they arrived the high-security cell.

Adrien looked a run, a little bit of emotion leaked through the spell and his heart started beating faster.

The bars were melted, the guards were dead and the cell was empty.

Marinette was gone.

“This is bad,” Adrien said, he turned around and saw the glimmering rocks. That was odd.

“The Witch Court?” Nino asked, looking at his best friend.  
“No way, they would have to make sure that we know they were here,” Adrien touched the shiny rocks and backed down immediately. They were hot at the touch but more than that, they felt like electricity.

“It’s Marinette’s magic,” Alya explained, “She got out on her own,”

“With all the venom on her blood I doubt she was able to stand up,” Adrien said, he searched for more clues. He entered the cell and saw the plate of food and the glasses of water he had sent. They were all full or spilled on the floor.

“She hasn’t drink any water, this is dangerous,” Adrien’s breath caught on his throat.

“This is bad, this is terrible,” Alya whispered.

“What is it?” Nino asked, “She is using magic, we just need to follow her trace, right?”

“No, I mean yes we can do that,” Alya nodded and rubbed her cheeks, the concern was shining on her eyes. “But you saw the zombie, if that’s Marinette’s actual condition, she is running on magic… she is going to kill herself, she can’t control it, she is not trained! Just look at those guards! Marinette wouldn’t kill a bug!”

“Guide us to her, Alya,” Adrien ordered, “Now!”

Alya lost no time.

Her ears moved and she started sensing the magic. It was all over the place and it was hard to find the right path but after running to one side to another on the hallway she decided a direction.

“Let’s go!” She started running.

“Max fix this mess and place the double!” Adrien shouted before running behind Alya, “Chlo, you help!”

“What?! No, why?!” The scream was left behind quickly.

Alya, Adrien, and Nino moved fast.

They went through the first floor of the dungeons quickly, they went upstairs and did the same process with the three remaining floors.

If Marinette wasn’t on the dungeons, it meant she was on the palace, and that wasn't good. No one could see Marinette if they did the plan wouldn't work and they would have to find a new way to save Marinette. If someone saw her and informed his father, he would dismiss all of Adrien’s advice and he would start with the sacrifice immediately.

Alya guided them to the east wing of the palace.

Adrien sighed relieved, that part of the palace was usually empty at this times of the night.

It was all dark, there were no candles on, the curtains were closed and the vermillion walls made the rooms look gloomier than they actually were.

“She is close!” Alya shouted.

That made Adrien run faster, but he didn’t have to because only a few steps further, they found Marinette.

She was floating as she moved, her hair was falling on top of her face, her eyes were glowing in white, just like the whole aura that surrounded her. She was illuminating the whole room.

The three friends stared at her for far too long. But how could they not, it was a beautiful sight.

They only went back to their senses when Chloé stepped in the room.

“I told you to stay!” Adrien shouted, pushing her to stand behind him.

“And lose all the fun?” Chloé pouted, “You need me, and Mimi too,” Chloé shook the bracelet on her left hand

“You called, Kagami?” Nino gasped.

“We need all the help we can get,” Chloé winced, “You never appreciate anything I do,”

“Guys,” Alya muttered, but the warning came too late.

The thunder blasted right where they stood.

Adrien pushed Chloé away. Alya took Nino with her and they appeared at the other side of the room.

That thunder was only the beginning.

The room was soon filled with white-hot flames and wild wind.

Marinette had no mercy, and why would she? She had been tortured and kept on a cell, this was the least she could do.

Adrien observed the scenario as he and Chloé hid behind a velvet couch.

Marinette was throwing magic everywhere, with no aim, she just hoped for the magic to take someone.

Alya was right, this was bad. If her personality said anything, Marinette wasn’t impulsive in battle, she was strategical, she had a plan and stuck to it and whatever she was doing right now was not her doing. The magic was moving her, which meant that she could snap at any moment.

Adrien felt like someone was squeezing his heart. The feelings were threatening to come out.

He inhaled deeply, now more than ever he needed to stay with a cool mind, if not he wouldn’t fight Marinette.

Chloé was pushing him away, trying to let loose of his grip, but he wouldn’t let her move until he had a plan.

The smell of smoke surrounded the room. Adrien looked at the walls and saw water dripping from the roof.

He searched for Nino using the trace of water.

Alya was holding him by his shoulders and they were floating on the roof. A big wall of ice was being built from one end to another on top of their heads.

Whatever Nino was planning, Adrien hoped it worked because he couldn’t come up with a good plan himself.

Marinette realized soon enough that the flames were disappearing and threw one big ball of fire to one of the walls, burning the paintings and the curtains in there.

Instead of a scream of victory, she yelled in pain.

Adrien leaped of his hiding spot to see what was going on.

Marinette was touching her shoulder, where the snakes were still strangling her. Now, they had a dagger to make them company. The dagger was little and red.

“Mimi,” Chloé said in a sing-song voice. Finally pushing Adrien away and running into action.

Chloé undid the golden belt she always wore and with a snap, it turned into a whip. Ready to attack Marinette.

“Hey!” Adrien said, warning Chloé.

His shout caught Marinette’s attention, winning in return one ball of fire that he miraculously managed to dodge.

Okay maybe it wasn’t time to defend Marinette, not when she was the one trying to kill them.

Water kept falling at Nino’s command.

The flames were being tamed by Alya.

Chloé was surrounding Marinette and trying to hit her with her whip, while Kagami who had just entered the room after throwing Marinette a dagger, was trying to go full-on combat with the powerful witch.

He had to do something too, but what?

He was good with a sword, not as good as Kagami, he doubted anyone could be, and he didn’t have one at hand.

He couldn’t use his compelling powers, Marinette would turn him into ashes the second he tried. He could throw some objects at her but that would make Kagami and Chloé’s attacks more difficult.

He didn’t know what to do, only that he had to do something and he started moving on his own.

He would walk to Marinette and try to talk to her, calm her down,

One step and she saw him. The floor under him started to burn.

Someone took him by the neck of his shirt and pushed him away.

“Don’t be an idiot!” Kagami shouted.

Adrien growled. What else could he do?

“Be careful!” Nino warned.

The wall of ice crackled above them and shattered pieces started to fall like keen knives.

Adrien rolled on the floor hiding under the coffee table as the ice showered the room.

Marinette screamed in pain, but that didn’t stop her.

Adrien crawled from under the couch.

All the ice was on the floor, melting away as the fire grew in size.

Thunders started to fall and clouds were made above their heads.

“We need to stop her!” Alya said from somewhere in the room. “She is going to snap!”

Adrien gulped.

_What could he do? What could he do?!_

In front of his eyes, a black sphere sparked and a demon came out of it.

“Use me!” Plagg shouted.

Adrien had no idea when he had appeared, or how he knew he was in need of help, but he didn’t question it any further.

Adrien nodded, he threw his hand in the air and ordered the demon to possess him.

This time it was different somehow.

He wasn’t full-on cat, all the magic Plagg was giving him was concentrated on his hands, he could feel it tickling his skin.

Adrien ran, he lifted his leg and pressed it against one of the couches, using it as an impulse to jump to Marinette.

He reached for her hand, the strong energy going close to hers but he never got to catch her hand.

Marinette shifted her body to him. She lifted her hand and threw a glowing thunder to his stomach.

It hit him right on his belly button, pushing him away. Adrien flew across the room and fell on top of a big flower vase. Crashing it and hurting himself with cuts.

Marinette sighed and started walking away from them.

“Okay, I can see why he likes her,” Chloé said to Kagami as they both jumped over a couch and followed Marinette who was moving to the other room.

Chloé aimed her whip towards Marinette’s wrist but the weapon stopped midway, returning to its owner with the same strength it was thrown.

“Chlo!” Kagami shouted, swinging her sword at the whip, trying to stop it.

A breeze crossed them and water circled the whip, freezing it and by consequence stopping it.

“You owe me!” Nino shouted.

He jumped in the air and twirled, thousand of water bubbles appeared around him and fell plummeted in Marinette’s direction.

Marinette crossed her arms in front of her

“Adrien now!” He wasn’t sure who had shouted but he followed the order

He jumped again.

Marinette unable to see because of Nino’s bubble attack didn’t know he was coming and stayed right where he was, allowing Adrien to brush his hand against arms.

The energy he had been holding on his hands smashed with hers.

Marinette gasped in shock, or maybe in pain.

Adrien did too, feeling Marinette’s strong magic going up his arm.

Marinette’s aura started to stain on Adrien’s black demon energy and it faded to gray.

The glow lowered in intensity and the power started to swirl around them. The two energies fighting each other, finally collapsing and bursting.

Marinette and Adrien were caught in the explosion and the force of it send them at opposite sides of the room.

Adrien was caught by one of Nino’s waves before hitting the wall.

Marinette was caught by one of Alya’s portals. Making her fall on one of the couches that had not been destroyed.

Adrien thanked Nino’s catch as he stood up and ran to where Marinette and Alya were.

Alya was hugging Marinette’s head, pressing her cheeks and staring at Marinette.

When Adrien saw her, the compelling spell was long forgotten.

A mix of bitter emotions shivered up his spine as he saw Marinette shaking uncontrollably.

Dark matter was dripping down her mouth and her eyes were lost like she had no soul left behind.

“Marinette is me,” Alya said cupping her cheeks, “Please, M, it’s Alya, answer me” Alya’s tears streamed down her face and dropped on Marinette’s face.

Adrien’s whole world was spinning around. He felt like he was running out of air, like the room was getting smaller.

He held his breath and tried to think straight. Now that his emotions were back they were slapping him like a whip, but he shouldn’t let them take the best of him, if he let them take over, he would be useless for Marinette.

Adrien ducked at Alya’s side and looked at Marinette. He touched the corner of her lip and cleaned the black liquid.

“It’s an overdose,” He whispered.

Adrien backed down and sat on the floor, sweeping pieces of broken glass, ice and ashes away.

“Un-possess,” He called and saw the swirling demon getting off of the ring. “Nino. Water. Now,” He ordered, putting his right hand on the air.

Nino threw a squirt of water from his index finger and splashed Adrien’s arm.

Adrien rubbed it dry with the palm of his hand and examined his skin.

This would have to do for now.

Adrien bit his wrist and tore apart his skin, making blood drip at a fast stream.

“Give her to me,” Adrien ordered to Alya.

Alya nodded. She pulled Marinette’s body down and gave her to Adrien, dragging her body away from any danger, and closer to the vampire.

Adrien took Marinette with his free hand.

He sat Marinette on his lap and hugged her from her waist. He lifted his shoulder a little, moving Marinette’s head.

“Alya, open her mouth,” He said. Alya did it

He gave one last look at Marinette before continuing. He kissed her temple and whispered. “I love you,”

He pressed his wrists against Marinette lips

He lowered his head and did an extreme change of mood. He left his heart behind and got into his battle mode.

“Drink,” He ordered, compelling her.

Marinette panted, her head bobbed and in slow moves, she opened her mouth and pressed her lips against Adrien’s warm skin.

Marinette started sucking the blood, she gagged at first but kept going under Adrien’s orders.

She was too weak to resist, as he suspected she had done before with the glasses of water.

“Why are you doing that?” Alya asked, disgusted at the sight of her best friend drinking blood.

“The true antidote to vampire’s venom is the vampire’s blood,” Nino revealed, sitting next to her in the couch.  

“It’s my father’s venom,” Adrien said, “We share enough genes for my blood to serve as antidote too,”

“Oh, thank you,” Alya sighed. She pressed her head against Nino’s shoulder. He patted her back. “How much does she have to drink?”

“Until she stops shaking,” Adrien said, keeping his sight on Marinette, “Then we stop and give her, and me, a break. We’ll have to give her little doses until we war it off completely,”

Adrien kept his arm pressed against Marinette who was drinking all the blood like real, and very thirsty, vampire.

He kissed her temple the whole time, whispering comforting words as she did it, he knew how horrible she would feel if she was conscious. Drinking blood was not like eating cake or drinking alcohol if you weren’t a vampire there is no way you would enjoy to drink this much.

Alya was the only one who was still sitting, next to him and watching Marinette.

Nino, Kagami, and Chloé were doing damage control.

Nino was cleaning the room as much as he could. Kagami and Chloé were back at the dungeons, ready to take some bodies and bury them. It was a good thing the guards Marinette killed were only _metas_ , who had a pretty bad reputation of getting into fights with each other because there was no way to explain how pure class vampires had died.

After fifteen minutes, Marinette stopped shaking and was profoundly asleep.

Adrien lowered his arm and kissed Marinette one last time.

“Take her to my room,” Adrien said.

He waited for Nino to catch Marinette on his arms before standing up and wrapping his arm on a piece of his cloak. “Alya can help her clean up, and then take any of my clothes and dress her, put her in my bed and don’t let anyone in,”

“Shouldn’t we take her out of the castle?” Alya wondered.

“My smell was starting to wear off but after all the blood she drank from me it will go back soon,” Adrien said, “The safest place is my room, she’ll blend in, no one will know,”

“Alright,” Alya nodded, “Why aren’t you coming with us?”

“Because the plan can’t work without me and if we want to make sure Marinette is safe, I need to do it now,” No matter how badly he wanted to hug her.

“Good luck,” Nino said, squeezing his shoulder “Let’s go, Alya,”  
Alya nodded and they both started running away.

Adrien sighed.

He fixed his clothes a little and kept pressing the piece of cloth against his arm. Hopefully, he would stop bleeding before his father arrived at the dungeons.

He took one big breath and walked back to the cells.

It was time to put on a show.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we got mari back!  
> i had so much to say in this chapter and all of it was just bc the point here was for marinette to drink blood, gee.  
> also all the kids fighting together!! well even if one of them was the one fighting against them oops.  
> and i'm indulging myself with some little djwifi here and there :) and with a little part of a conversation between adrien and marinette that i was going to use on an earlier chapter but that is now here lol
> 
> hope you enjoyed!!
> 
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	24. the act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the real prompt here was murder mystery au, but i couldn't come up with anything at all, lol  
> so yeah...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been so busy this week! and then it was halloween (when this fic was supposed to end, but well we still here)  
> i'm so sorry for not answering any comments, i really have nothing to little time :/
> 
>  
> 
> enjoy!  
> we're going 8k words again.

Marinette drunk too much of his blood and he was starting to feel the effects of it. 

He was happy that he had been able to help her, that had been the plan the whole time but, he was a little angry at her by not drinking her water. She had only abstained herself from doing it because he said so. Why did she care about her well being so little? 

He should have shut his mouth, if he hadn’t mentioned the water, Marinette would probably drunk of it. 

She was so stubborn!

He was feeling a little dizzy and could see colorful spots on his eyes, but his recovery system would kick in soon and he would be fine enough to put on his act without any trouble. 

Adrien went back to the dungeons through the same path than before, checking the damage Marinette had left behind. 

It was nothing that couldn’t be fixed quickly, but he still hoped no one decided to visit this wing of the palace tonight. 

When he arrived at the dungeons, Kagami was waiting for him, Chloé was long gone, the dungeons looked like nothing had happened, especially not a powerful witch, and Max was nowhere to be found. 

“Where’s Max?” Adrien asked Kagami, running to her side. 

“He left, said the plan was ready to go whenever you liked to start. He left you this,” Kagami took his hand and put five blue cubes on top of his hand, “He said you should give one to the zombie after the plan is done if you can’t give it to it directly, leave it on the cell. It is what will keep it going without Max being here,”

“Cool,” Adrien took one of the cubes between his fingers and put it against one of the candles, to see through it. It looked like a sugar cube or a crystal, whatever it was, it looked to pretty to be zombie food. 

“Do we have new  _ metas  _ already?” Adrien said, remembering that Kagami and Chloé had been hiding bodies not long ago. 

“Chloé asked her dad for a couple of new guards, they’ll be here in a few minutes,”

“Did he have any questions?” 

“Yes, but Chloé threw a tantrum, so we’re fine,” Kagami said. Adrien laughed. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine, it was a lot of blood but I’m standing on my feet so…”

“I mean emotionally,” Kagami tilted her head and gave him one of those looks that Adrien hated so much. It didn’t matter how well she knew him, it never felt good to have Kagami’s judgy eyes on him. 

“Uh… not so good,” Lying was not going to take him anywhere. 

“Do you think you can do this or should I compel you one more time?”

No, not compelling again, it left an unsettling feeling on his body. He accumulated every emotion and felt it more intense than it was once he got his emotions back, and it was uncomfortable, sometimes even painful. 

He shook his head. 

“I can do this. I think being emotional will work,” Adrien rubbed his face, he was so tired, these days had been filled with more emotion and tension than any other day in his life. 

“Chloé send a message already,” She said, taking a bracelet from her pocket that matched with the one Chloé always wore, “Your father is having dinner with Nathalie on his dispatch,”

“You say it like it is a problem,”

“You think he’ll come? He is probably discussing his plans with her?”

“With better reason, if I go nuts he has to come, he has to save the plan,” Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose, “He won’t let anything or anyone interfere with his plan, not even me. He will come,”

Kagami nodded and turned around, walking away from him without a proper goodbye. 

Adrien sighed. 

He walked in the direction Marinette’s cell, he stopped one before hers.  and waited for the new guards. His plan was nothing if there was no one to see. 

The strong smell of human blood mixed with venom hit his nose quickly. Chloé was always effective, he couldn’t argue with that. A couple of new metas went down the stairs and started to fill the dungeons. 

Before they arrived at the sector he was standing, Adrien jogged to Marinette’s cell, opened the door and closed it in a swift move and entered the dark, humid and gloomy cell. 

In the corner of the chamber, right under the tiny window, where barely any light leaked through, the creature was sitting and sobbing. 

Adrien could see it perfectly, and his stomach twisted at the perturbing vision.

The zombie looked just like Marinette did. 

He swore every freckle was in the same exact spot, there was no way to not think that wasn’t Marinette unless you knew. And of course it did, they were using Marinette’s illusion necklace to create it, the replica couldn’t be anything but perfect. 

“ _ Adrien? _ ” The zombie called with the same sweet voice of his beloved. 

His heart sank, how was he going to do this?

He knew this wasn’t Marinette but he was going to listen to Marinette and that was going to play some games in his mind. 

“ _ Kitty? _ ” No, not that nickname. 

He heard the steps of the guards coming closer. If he didn’t act now he would fail and then all they had done today would have been for nothing. 

They needed to convince Gabriel that Adrien was on his side. He had to convince his father that he didn’t love Marinette. 

It was no time to step back, he had to do it. This would help the  _ real  _ Marinette. 

Adrien looked right into the zombie’s eyes, he had to remind himself that those weren’t the real blue eyes he loved so much and when his mind was finally able to find some peaceful point the zombie started to scream and fell to the floor, his compelling charm working immediately and effectively. 

Adrien inhaled deeply and started acting too. 

“Tell me!” He shouted. 

He circled the fake Marinette and looked down at it. It was lying on the floor looking at him with fear on his eyes. 

He put the point of his shoe under her chin and lifted it. 

“If you want to live, answer me!” 

He kicked and the fake Marinette screamed as she rolled in the ground. 

“What’s all that ruckus!” One of the guards appeared outside the cell. 

He looked angry and ready to fight but when Adrien turned around and sent a threatening look, his whole face and posture changed. 

“Prince Adrien,” He greeted, the fear on his voice was palpable.

“Go away, I can take care of this one,”

“But, Prince--   
“Did you say but?” Adrien chuckled amusedly. He clicked his tongue and shook his head from side to side, “Did you really say “but” to your prince you fucking  _ meta _ ?”

“No, your Highness, no, I didn’t mean to, I… you and,”

“Leave!” Adrien shouted and turned back to his real mission. 

He had scared the guards enough. He didn't’ deserve it, but all the anger he felt towards Nathalie and his father was helping him to put on a good act. 

“Now, where were we?” He asked walking back to the undead who was crawling away from him. One hand on its face, cleaning the blood that was dripping from her mouth. “Oh, yes! TALK!”

_ Not Marinette, not Marinette, not Marinette.  _

Adrien kneeled and took the zombie by its hair. He pulled and lifted her from the ground, pushing her against a wall. 

“I don’t know!” The zombie cried. 

“How could you not?! Are we a joke to you?!” Adrien pushed one more time, the smell of blood was stronger. 

Adrien looked away, he couldn’t see its face, that meant he would see Marinette and if he did he was going to break. 

He threw it back to the ground and faced at the wall, not looking at the suffering body, not Marinette, in the middle of the cell. 

“I recommend you to talk, witch,” Adrien said, “I spend two weeks with you, I know you’re more powerful than you let on, and we know who you are too, there’s no point in pretending, just give us the information we need and all this is over,”

“Adrien,” Her voice again, calling for him.

_ Not Marinette.  _

“You must know!” Adrien screamed again, “Your magic prevents me from compelling you and take that piece of information, so you must know!”

Adrien shouted frustrated. 

“Prince!” One new  _ meta _ appeared outside of the cell. 

“What?!” He growled. 

He didn’t need to see himself to know that his irises were red and his scleras black, if he pushed it a little more his veins might start to show too. 

At the sight of him, the  _ metas _ trembled.

“Prince, your father--

“My father had gone through a lot,” He said, not letting them finish and just putting on his act, “I’m doing this for him, now leave me alone _! It’s an order!” _

Adrien hit the wall with his fist, destroying part of the wall, rubble falling to the ground. 

The guards ran away but they had named his father, so hopefully, he would be here soon. 

Adrien cleaned his hands and fixed his clothes. They were dirty from the battle against the real Marinette, but they would help his case here if he looked like he had a great fight against her in the cell. 

The fake Marinette was panting, it was grabbing the bench and trying to stand on her feet. 

It was never going to make it if Max designed the zombie to look and have the same weak state Marinette had been, it was not going anywhere. 

Adrien took one big breath and walked to the bench. Looking at the roof before his next action.

He kicked its stomach and threw her at the other side of the cell, hitting its back with the bench 

“ _ TALK WITCH! _ ” 

“Adrien,  _ please _ !” The fake Marinette begged, it was shaking and started crawling in his direction, “Please stop, I don’t know, Adrien. You have to believe me, I don’t know!” 

The agony of Marinette’s voice made his heart crack. 

_ Not Marinette, not Marinette, not Marinette _ , he repeated on and on again. But, this zombie, this spirit that was moving and following their orders had been programmed with Marinette’s personality, which meant that this was a reaction Marinette would have.

If this scene was real if he really was evil and only wanted her to bring his mother back, would she really be pleading for her life to him?

She had thrown a chain to his face and she had been mean to him on his visits, but he never took it too far, he was here to make her company and check on her, this right now was assault. 

Adrien compelled the ripped dress she was wearing to push her to the other side of the room this time. 

The zombie shouted. 

“ _ Mon minou _ , please!”

Adrien snapped there. 

He dragged the fake from its ankle and pulled it at the center of the room. He put one leg at each side of the body and wrapped his hands around its neck, strangling it. 

He didn’t look at its face, he imagined Nathalie because one day this was going to be her. One day he was going to kill her and make her pay for all the suffering she put Marinette through, all the trauma she left behind. He was going to kill her and take pleasure of it. 

“Adrien!” His father’s voice echoed in the room.

A smirk involuntarily appeared on Adrien’s face, he was glad he was facing at the wall and not at the bars of the call or his father would have seen.

He was here, and he was falling for it.  

Adrien choked the fake Marinette tightener. Its skin was turning a little blue. 

The zombie reached for his face and scratched it. 

“ _ Adrien Émile Agreste!” _ Adrien felt joy, if his father was using his full name, then he was mad and he thought this was true, that he was really hurting Marinette. 

The door of the cell chirped open and he heard the fast steps against the rocks.

The guards took him away from “Marinette” at Gabriel’s frantic orders.

They took him out and threw him on the floor outside of the chamber, right under Gabriel’s feet. 

His father kneeled and took him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him and pressing him against the wall. He looked at him, disappointment shining on his obscure eyes and slapped Adrien. 

“What in the bloody world are you doing?!” 

Adrien didn’t have to fake his shock. His father was bad, he was unsupportive and his words were manipulative and evil but he had never put a finger on him. 

“I…” He got trouble finding the right words. 

He touched his itching cheek and stared into Gabriel’s eyes who had just realized what he had done. 

He put him down and took him by his shoulders.

“Adrien I…” He gasped. 

“I’m sorry,” His voice broke down. “I’m so, sorry, I disappointed you, I failed you!”

“No, no, Adrien, you-

“I want to bring her back, father” Adrien gasped and threw his hands around his father’s waist, crying on his shoulder. Letting out every fear and frustration, that actually belonged to his and Marinette’s situation, but his father would never know that. “She is not healing on purpose! She is playing with us father” Adrien jolted as his father held him.

“Adrien,” Gabriel shook Adrien’s shoulders “Calm. down,”

“I’m sorry,” He said again, marking his words even more than before, “I just want her back so much,” His sobs were loud and his whole body was shaking, he really was putting on a good show, “I want my mom back, father,”

“And we’ll have her,” Gabriel assured him, “I understand your frustration and that you can feel impatient, I’ve felt that way myself but now that we are so close -and all thanks to you, my son- we can give ourselves a little time. Nathalie says she’ll be ready to perform any sacrifice in a few days. Is the venom what is acting out, but her magic will be as good as new in a week and trust me, son, we’ll be ready then,”

Adrien’s heart almost jumps out off his chest. 

A week. They had a week.

He had wanted to bring the army in one night and just now he realized how stupid that would have been. A week was way more time than just a night and he was getting nervous because they had so much to do, what if they didn’t make it?

No, he had to look at the bright side. Now he knew when his father wanted to use Marinette when he was going to be weak and unprepared, and at that moment they would be ready to attack. 

Everything was going to go according to the plan. 

He would have his throne and his girl. And with a little bit of luck and good planning, his revenge. 

Adrien was so wrapped around his mind, his plans, and his future that he moved in automatic. 

He followed Gabriel back to the palace, he sat down with him to take a glass of  _ cranberry bubbler _ and heard him talk about the times his mother had still been around and how she was the best woman to ever exist. 

Adrien listened to him with a certain suspicion. There was something that was not quite right about the way his mother had died, he had always thought it but now it was more obvious than before.

There was no doubt that she had been through the  _ Revitnerá,  _ the ceremony of _mortalization_ every vampire should go under if they wanted to leave their immortality behind. 

But why she had under it? It didn’t make any sense.

And why did she die? His father never gave a hint about it, neither was now.

What was he hiding? 

He had the feeling that he was never going to know.

**xx**

Marinette felt like she was swimming or maybe floating on a cloud. 

The world around her didn’t seem real but at the same time, she felt she was connected to the actual reality. 

However, this couldn’t be true because right now it was perfect and her reality wasn’t. 

Marinette was on Adrien’s arm. 

Her Adrien, the one that smiled, the one with the soft eyes, the one who stroked her hair as she laid with him, the one that loved her and had not pretended only to give her as a gift to his father. 

The Adrien that she firmly believed loved her. 

Marinette cuddled close to him, rubbing her cheek against his arm. She wanted to stay in this hallucination for a little longer, it was perfect, like a sweet dream where everything was as she wished it could be. 

He left a kiss on top of her temple. 

Yes, definitely perfect.

She felt his hand on her hair, running his fingers on the top of her head

Adrien shifted on his spot and moved her with him

It was just then when Marinette felt the warm and wet sensation on her lips. She was drinking some sort of thick liquid, with a metallic flavour. 

She had been doing it for a while but she still couldn’t recognize what it was. It was not disgusting, it wasn’t pleasing either but every time she drank it, Adrien was close and she could hear him humming against her ear, so she could go through that uncomfortable drink just for him. 

The pain was also a side thing when it came to be with him. 

Her whole body ached like she had been exposed at the sun for far too long and she was about to have a sunstroke. She didn’t move much because of it. Her hands particularly hurt the most.

The more she drank the strange liquid the more aware she was of the world outside. It was still a world that she couldn’t recognize.  

“Has she been sleeping well?” Adrien’s voice stopped signing and went further away from her. 

“Mostly. She woke up wanting to puke, but Nino forced her to drink water and all was good again,” That was Alya’s voice, she recognized it well enough. 

But Alya and Adrien could not be in the same room, Alya would burn him alive. 

“Good, water will make this easier,”

“How much blood does she need to drink?”

“I don’t know,” Adrien answered, his mouth was very close to her ear, she could feel his lips on top of her lobe, “Hopefully not much more or people would start wondering why I’m asking for so many donors in so little time,” 

“How many have you asked for?” 

“Two. It’s not a big number, but for me it is and people will notice, they have served me for a long time,”

“Ah,” Alya sighed, “I don’t think I’ll be long, at least she mumbles true words now, and she seems to be more aware of her surroundings when she wakes up,”

“That’s good,” 

“We’re almost over for today,” Adrien said. Over with what? She didn’t want him to go. “Kagami and Chloé are going shopping today, you could go with them if you wanted to,” 

“No thank you, I’ll stay with, Mari,”

“Okay,” Adrien said, there was a smile on his voice “Hey, what is Nette’s favorite cake?” 

“She likes that ferzberry fairy whisper cake,” Alya answered, “Why?”

“Once she wakes up she is going to be hungry, I just want her to eat something she really likes, so she won’t feel so bad,”

“Ferzberries are not in season,” 

“They are always in season here in the castle,” Adrien answered, “Especially when I like ferzberry beer so much,” 

“Perks of being a prince, I guess,

“You guess right,” Adrien’s laughed chimed, Marinette felt all fuzzy inside. 

The liquid stopped pouring on her lips and Marinette started to feel alarmed. 

Adrien was about to be gone. 

She felt her body changed positions, the warmness of his body disappeared and his voice could be heard from far away. 

_ No, come back! Come back to me! _

Marinette tried to call for him, tried to wake up from his state and beg him to hug her again but she remained immobile, silent and downcast. 

Marinette concentrated on this weird state. 

What was it? Where was it? Why was she there?

There had to be a way to break from this phase she was going through. 

If Marinette focused enough, she could feel her body, behind the pain, she sensed something soft and if she went a little deeper, she could feel the tickling sensation of her magic.

She had magic! It was back and she could feel it under her control.

If she had magic, she could wake up. 

She imagined herself in an empty room, standing in the middle, her hands extended at each side of her body. 

She pictured a pentagram, candles, and Tikki. 

A shiver went down her spine. Where was Tikki? 

She shook the thought away, it was no time for that, she would figure it out later. 

She saw the empty room again, the pentagram and the candles, no Tikki this time, only her and her magic.

The imaginary her put her hands on top of her chest and intertwined her fingers. SHe kissed the top of her knuckles and extended her hands in front of her. 

A glowing aura surrounded her in shades of lime green. 

The wind appeared on the room, swirling around her, blowing her hair on top of her face. 

She felt the warm magic bouncing on her legs and her arms and then she felt it, the world snapped, it crumbled down. 

_ It worked.  _

Marinette opened her eyes and saw the sheets in front of her. They were crimson red and she guessed they were made of silk because of how soft they felt against her skin. 

Marinette extended her hand to grab one of the pillows and help her body move. The pain on her body was still there, she could move but slowly. 

She pressed her elbows against the mattress and used them to push herself up. She rolled to one side and pressed her back to the mattress and the pillows when her strength wasn’t enough to sit down. 

She growled and looked at the roof. 

Marinette narrowed her eyes. She had never seen that chandelier before, it was beautiful, made of big diamonds and lightened by indigo candles, but it was unfamiliar, and because of that unsettling. 

Last time she remembered to be was in a cell in the dungeons, in Kertáh. 

The fear let Marinette put the pain aside and sit down in a fast move. 

She looked around and saw the room in front of her. 

It was big and delicate. The lilac walls were decorated with silver and gorgeous paintings of modern style that managed to blend well with the classic undertones of the room. 

Marinette looked everywhere looking for clues. Her sight dropped in the piano in front of the bed, where a familiar mane of copper hair and ears was too familiar for it not to be her best friend.

“Alya?” She asked, voice trembling. 

The kitsune turned around, her eyes were full of surprise and when she finally saw her, she smiled. 

“Marinette,” She whispered her name with so much excitement. “You’re finally awake!”

She swiftly floated from the piano in her direction, jumping in the bed and crawling to be next to her.

“Where are we? This isn’t the  _ Palais de la Lune, _ ” Marinette asked, breathing without a constant rhythm. 

“Hey, breathe,” Alya hugged her, Marinette flinched but the pain vanished after a few seconds, “Listen to me, you’re safe,

“Where am I, Alya?” Marinette asked between clenched teeth.

“We are in a safe place right now, we are taking care of everything for you to--

“Where, Alya?!” 

Alya gulped. She brushed her hair and sighed.

“We’re still in Kertáh, M” Marinette was expecting that answers and still got surprised, “We’re in Adrien’s room,”

“Adrien’s?” Marinette lower lip quivered. “I can’t be here,”

“Marinette,” Alya said, trying to calm her down.

Marinette jolted and pushed Alya away. Her body ached but she still moved. She pushed the sheets far from her body and started crawling on top of the bed, reaching for the edge. 

“Marinette, everything is fine, I promise,” Alya took her hand and pulled her back

“No, it is not!” Marinette escaped from her hold, “Alya, we need to go. You were right, I was dumb, Adrien is evil,”

“No,” Alya shook her head. She popped in front of her and stop her from going any further, dragging her back to the bed. “I was wrong and I can explain,”

“Alya--

“Marinette, you were right, you had the right conclusion, it was Luka and me who were wrong,” She said, so convinced that Marinette couldn’t help but keep her mouth shut, waiting for more to come, “He loves you and I can’t begin to describe how passionate his feelings are,” Alya gasped. She put her arm up and pointed at the circled tattooed around her wrist, “He loves you to pieces,”

“What’s that?” Marinette asked, but she knew what it was, she had done one promise with Alya too, many years ago. 

“Unbreakable bow,” Alya answered anyways, knowing Marinette needed to hear it, “You know I can’t make an unbreakable vow if someone is lying,”

“With who...   
“With Adrien, Marinette, this vow is to Adrien,” Alya said, “He loves you, M,”

She had been wanting to hear those words for so long. For someone to come at her and tell her that it was all a cruel joke, that Adrien actually loved her and that the men she had seen on that cell was not him but an illusion, that the real Adrien was somewhere out there waiting for her to come back so he could give her all his love. Now Alya, her most precious friend, was telling her that Adrien loved her, then, what it didn’t feel real?

“Did he asked you to tell me?” Marinette wondered.   
“Yes, he asked me to tell you  _ someday, _ when I considered it opportune,” Alya sighed, “I think that moment is now,”

“When? And where is he now?” Why wasn’t he here? Or had he been here before? Could the perfect Adrien of her dreams actually be him?

“When we were planning, there’s a lot to explain, Marinette and now he is going around the palace, he will be back any minute,” Alya dropped her shoulders, “He has been taking care of you and I know is hard to understand, after he revealed he is a vampire you have only seen him in your chamber, and I can imagine that’s not the best place to see him, but he loves you and really has been doing everything on his power to keep you safe,”   
Everything on his power? Taking care of her?

She had been on a cell! His father and he had discussed how to use her powers! He had given him information about her! And worse, he would look at her without a spark of love on his eyes. 

“Then why he acted like that?” Marinette sobbed, her heart was aching as badly as her body, “Alya I was so scared and he… the way he looked at me, the way he spoke to me... like I meant nothing. How can he love me?”   
“He was under compelling,” Alya rubbed her back, “He didn’t want to, M, he was against the plan but we agreed it was the only choice. Even then, he only did it because I told him to, if not he wouldn’t have. He wanted to go in a killing spree,”

“And you all didn't let him?” Marinette huffed. She was in for that plan.

“We wanted both of you alive,” Alya kissed the top of her head, “All he wanted was to save you, to hold you and take care of you, but he wasn’t allowed to. If we wanted to assure your safety, in the long run, we had to do this, we had to make the King believe he had won,”

“So, you put me on a cell? You let them chain me with ruthenium and inject me venom until I was so drugged I passed out? That sounds just like love, wow,”

“We didn’t want to,” One tear rolled down Alya’s cheek, “And Adrien could only do it when he was under the charm, when it broke down he broke down too, Mari, we had to tie him down or he would have burned this palace to the ground,”   
“Again, I’m up for that, why did you stop him?” Marinette asked him

“Because I know you love him,” Alya said and that was explanation enough for Marinette, she didn't’ like it but she understood. 

“I get it,” Marinette sighed, “Or at least now I do because I’m so tired but

“You could get mad later, I know,”

“Yeah,”

“And it would be your right,”

“Sure it would,” Marinette huffed, “Where’s Luka? Is he here too?”

“No, he didn’t come with me, he went to alert the Witch Court,”

“Oh no,”

“He is not there yet, I stopped him but he is in a strategic point, if we need them I’ll just let him know,” 

“You think we’ll need him?”

“Maybe, I’ll explain you a little,”

Alya told her all that had happened after she left Luka’s house. How worried they had been and how they immediately feared the worse and took different paths to be more effective. 

Alya narrated her journey of following her steps and labeled as “the hardest mission she had ever been part of” because Marinette was impossible to track without the crystal balls and because once she had been in Kertáh, it was hard to appear anywhere she wanted, luckily the Red Spiral Forest had been an exception, and she had easily appeared and disappeared. 

That’s where she had found Adrien’s trace and followed him back to the catacombs. 

Alya was about to explain her whole fight with the wendigo they had encountered when the door opened and they could hear a melodic whistle. 

Adrien entered the room with a plate of cake in one hand. 

Marinette followed his every move and checked him from head to toe. 

He was wearing tight black pants and combat boots, his shirt was white and had a circle cleavage exposing his collar bones, he was wearing a choker necklace made of black velvet fabric with a chain wrapped around it. His hair was a mess but it was the kind of mess Marinette would never mind.

He was handsome, no denying in that, but there was something new in the way he moved. He looked carefree, nothing like the man she met on the dungeons. 

He put the plate on top of the table and spun on his heels, facing the bed. 

Facing her. 

“Nette,” He gasped. 

He hadn’t expected for her to be awake, she could see it.

His eyes were filled with so many feelings and each contradictory to the new one that appeared. 

His body let see through his awkwardness, how badly he wanted to be somewhere else. 

That hurt. 

“I’m… I am… I’m just leaving this here and I’ll…” He pointed at the plate behind him and opened his mouth in surprise. 

“And you’ll leave,” Marinette completed for him. 

She stood up from the bed, knees still shaking a bit and with a heavy body, but she could see clearly now and there was no nausea, so she felt as good as new, she would deal with the remaining pain later, once she got this out of the list.

“Yes,” Adrien nodded. 

He walked towards her, unsure and keeping his distance. 

“Is that what you do?” Marinette inquired. 

The anger building up, like acid on the back of her throat. 

Adrien opened his mouth and looked at each side of Marinette, finally landing on her eyes. He looked conflicted, also surprised like he didn’t expect for Marinette to talk to him ever again.  

At the lack of response, Marinette elaborated. “I asked if that’s what you do? You get into trouble and you leave without talking? You did it after the exorcism and you’re doing it now,” 

“I don’t know what to say, Marinette,” He gasped. 

“An apology would be nice,” Marinette put her hands on her hips, “An explanation of why you treated me the way you did could be a close second,” 

“I… I’m just a waste of time, Marinette,” He looked down, “I want to apologize for everything I’ve done, for everything I’ve put you through but I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, I shouldn’t be standing here either,”

“But you are,” Marinette said back. 

He should be appreciating this opportunity. If it wasn’t for Alya and her unbreakable vow, she wouldn’t give him the time of the day. She would have thrown some very hurtful spells towards him and escaped. She was in pain but she felt powerful enough to do some damage.

“Marinette, you should rest, I’ll leave you with Alya, really there’s no need to talk to me,” He gasped “Alya can explain you--

“Alya explained enough!” Marinette snapped her fingers, Adrien flinched back, but there was no spell to dodge, “You are not compelled now, I can tell, there’s a pool of emotions in your eyes and you’re drowning on it,”   
“Nette…”

“Talk to me,” She begged. She believed Alya’s words, but she needed to hear the truth from him.

“I’m sorry, princess,” He said, his eyes were asking for forgiveness, but Marinette wasn’t going to take that apology, “I’m sorry for everything, I knew this was going to happen and I still put you through it,”

He stopped. 

Marinette rose a brow. He wasn’t going to continue?

“I really should go,” He sighed, “I won’t bother you-

“I’m giving you a chance to talk to me!” Marinette put her hands in fists, “Why don’t you take it?!”

“Because I’m bad at expressing my feelings, because no one ever calls me out when I do wrong and I don’t know what to do when it happens, because I love you so, so much and I still hurt you, because no matter if I apologize I can’t change anything because I don’t want to keep giving you trouble and it’s better that we just leave things as they are so you don’t get hurt again, it’s better if I just walk away--

“Walk away?” Marinette repeated

“Yes, I’ll walk away and--

“Walk.  _ away? _ !” Marinette said between clenched teeth, one octave higher than her usual tone. Why couldn’t he just say that he loved her? What was left to lose? Absolutely nothing. He had put her through hell and she was giving him a chance, why was he keeping his feelings to himself?

She deserved a confession.

“Uh…”

The closet at the opposite part of the room opened, clothes started to float in the air, flying in Adrien’s direction, one by one attacking him. 

“Do you have any idea what I went through just to come here? For  _ you _ ?”   
“Princess,”

“First you break my heart, then I come to Kertáh! Kertáh, Adrien, the place I’m supposed to stay away from! And I feel more frightened than ever before because if I don’t find you, there’s a big chance that I could die, and yet that’s not what worries me the most, it worries me that I could have lost you!” Marinette threw one heavy jacket at Adrien’s chest. “Then the forest is not scary enough, but your friend and you fi _ancé_ appear! They cut me with a sword to drink my blood!” 

“They cut you?!” Adrien stopped a belt that was going right to his face. 

“And that’s not the worst, then  _ Sancoeur _ appears! With her fucking ruthenium! I almost succumb to my own magic and then your father tries to fucking sacrifice me and you enter the room and go all ‘Oh, father, I did all of this for us, she means nothing’”Marinette threw her hands in the air and put on a mocking expression “And I have to keep myself sane in a prison but I can’t because I have so much venom in my blood that I feel nauseous and you visit and it breaks my heart a little bit more every damn time and then bang! I snap!” Marinette breathed heavily. “I don’t know what happened next but it must have been awful too,”

“Marinette” Adrien took a step forward.

“All of that, just for you to say that you’re going to walk away after saying that you love me?” Marinette grimaced. All the clothes fell to the ground and she started walking fast towards Adrien, cornering against a wall “Alya tells me you love me, that you have an unbreakable vow with her, that you guys had a plan and that the emotionless man that visited me wasn’t you because you were under compelling. All that suffering starts to be somehow worth it because I wasn’t wrong and you say you’re going to walk away,”   
“I don’t want to hurt you any more than I have,” 

“Oh for Saint Ana! I’m gonna strangle you, I swear!

“In the good or the bad sense?” Adrien asked without thinking. Not even him could understand how he could throw a joke in a moment like that

“Don’t joke around now!” Marinette hissed. 

“I’m sorry,” Adrien said in a tiny voice. “Please don’t punch me,” 

“I thought you liked girls that could kick your ass,” 

“Oh, believe me, there’s a weird mix of arousal and fear going on right now,” Adrien said waving his hands around his body. 

Marinette floated aligning her height to his, locking his sight with hers. 

She took the lapels of his blazer, pushed him against the wall and pressed her lips on his. 

Adrien’s reaction was immediate. He put his hands on her hair and on her hip, he opened his mouth and kissed her back.

Marinette knew what she was doing wasn’t healthy, that they needed to talk, that all that angry behavior she had just performed was no way to treat such a delicate subject, but she also understood that the position they were in was unique. Maybe this was the only way they had to put down the walls and build the bridges they needed. 

And kissing Adrien’s lips, feeling his warm body pressed against her and his hands roaming her body, pulling her closer and closer until it was impossible to keep going unless they turned into one, it didn’t feel like a bad way to fix what they had. 

Marinette was still mad because of what he had done now and what he did after the exorcism. Why couldn’t he tell her that he was a vampire before? They would have figured it out, she was sure. 

But she understood from where he was coming, why he had taken the decisions he had. It all came from a distorted place but it was a place full of love for her. 

She wasn’t happy with the turn of events, but they would have time to arrange those details once the waters were calm. She could help Adrien and Adrien could help her, but right now she just wanted to hear him say he loved her, all the other things would come later. 

“Say it,” Marinette asked, her lips lingered close to his. 

He opened his eyes and looked at her. She didn’t need to repeat her order, he understood perfectly. 

“I love you,”

“Again,”

“I love you,”

“One more time,”

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” He said, giving a peck on her lips in between the phrases. 

“Good,” Marinette dropped to the ground, “Now that you’ve heard it from your own voice, would you stop running away from me?”   
“I don’t mean to run away, my lady,” Adrien brushed Marinette’s hair away from his face, “I would stay with you forever but life is not on our side, staying with me will kill you. As sad as I am to say it, and as painful it has been every damn time, we’re not meant to be together, Marinette,”

“No one is meant to be,” Marinette cut, “People choose with who they stay, they choose with who they want to share their lives, this has nothing to do with destiny, Adrien,”   
“I think for us it does,” Adrien winced, “If everything goes well, I’ll be king and you’ll be queen. I’ll lead the vampire nation and you’ll lead the witches’ land. We are made to break if we stay together,”

“We won’t,” Marinette squeezed his cheeks,  “We can change things, we don’t owe anything to anyone. You can rule a kingdom and love me, I can go back to the witches and give my heart to you. My whole identity is not in being the Witch of Creation, and yours is not being the Vampire Prince. We can allow ourselves to be in love,” 

“Falling in love with me almost gets you killed, Marinette,” 

“No, your father almost gets me killed, his insanity almost gets me killed. It has nothing to do with who I love,” 

“You followed me here,” Adrien reminded her, “Nathalie caught you in our woods, you wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for me,”

“He would have found me sooner or later, that’s not your fault. You haven’t done anything but try to keep me safe,”

“What are you talking about? I have only brought problems,”

“You have not,” Marinette shook her head, “All these problems have always been here. You have saved me so many times, Adrien, you’re one of the best things that have happened to me. I don’t believe in destiny, but you do, and if it exists I don’t think you’re reading it right, I think we  _ are _ meant to be,”

“I’ve only put you in danger, Nette,” He pulled away from her and walked to the piano, “If I hadn’t met you then I would have tortured you too to bring back my mother, I think it is obvious that we are not supposed to love each other,”

“You wouldn’t have,”

“How do you know? Why are you so sure?” 

“You saved me from drowning,” Marinette said, “You didn’t have to, you didn’t know me, you were in danger and you went out of your way to help me out. You had nothing to win and all to lose and yet you saved me,” 

Adrien turned to her, she was right behind him already.

“You wouldn't have tortured me, you wouldn’t have joined your father, because you're good, Adrien, good at heart,”   
“If I hurt you..”

“You’re hurting me now,” Marinette’s mouth sat on a harsh line, “And I’m getting tired of trying to convince you but I’m here anyway because I love you, I’m fighting but it’s not easy, and you are not seeing it. It’s really hard, Adrien,”

“Nette…”

“You’re the son of the bastard that wants to kill me, you’re the son of the reason my life is a mess. He is why I have nightmares, why sometimes I couldn’t sleep because I was too afraid that he would come in the middle of the night and kill me there, the reason why I’m away from my family, why I don’t have many friends, and to be honest he is the reason of all the fucked up reactions and feelings I have and yet, here I am, in Kertáh because when you finally showed who you, yes it hurt, but once I processed it and I accepted it, I told myself that I loved you, that I didn’t care who was your father, because you weren’t him,”

Marinette rubbed under her eyes with her fingertips, trying not to cry. 

“I’m scared too, and I think I have more right to be than you ever will but I’m trying,” She gasped, “So, stop blaming destiny, stop trying to put the blame on you or victimize me when I have not done it myself. If you love me as you say you do, be honest with me. If you love me but you really don’t want to be with me say so, but if you want to, if you really want to, stop being a coward and don’t give up before trying,”

“I do love you,” Adrien said, he pulled his bangs back nervously, “I thought I had been in love before but then I met you and I knew I had been wrong. You  _ are _ love, Marinette,” He stopped, organizing his thought before continuing, “I’m scared. I don’t want to lose you, I don’t want to be the reason why I lose you and I don’t want to pull you in the mess that it is my life and it’s only going to get worse. And I realize how selfish and self-centered I might sound and that you have been through so much more than I could ever imagine but that’s why I don’t want to give you more reasons to suffer,”

“That is not what I asked. That’s what you have been saying again and again,” Marinette whined, “Just tell me: Marinette go away or Marinette stay, it is that simple!”   
“It is not!” Adrien shouted, “The logical part of my brain says that I should stay as far away as I can and the other part, that stupid part that’s full of emotions that drives me crazy but that is also a big part of me, begs me to never let you go,” 

“Then answer me, not to the part you think you should hear but the part you want to hear because that’s where your heart is, that’s what will make you happy. Don’t think about what could happen in the future, we are here in this moment, now, everything else can be taken care off when it happens,  _ if _ it happens,” Marinette took his hands and wrapped them in hers, pulling them close to her cheeks “Whatever you decide, I will still love you. If you ask me to walk away, I won’t push you anymore, I’ll go and I won’t try anything else but I need you to tell me. No more mixed signals, Adrien,”

“Stay,” Adrien said, looking her through his eyelashes, “Stay with me, let me love you and love me back,”

“I will,” Marinette said back and hugged him.

“I don’t understand your mind, my lady,” He kissed her forehead, “I would have punched me,” 

“That was the best second option,” She smiled against his chest, “This doesn’t mean I’m not angry”   
“I know. That’s good, you should be angry,”

“Yes,” Marinette nodded, “And you have a lot of explaining to do,”

“I’ll start immediately,” He rubbed his thumb against her cheek. 

“And you won’t miss a detail,” 

“And I won’t miss a detail,” Adrien nodded. 

Adrien put on hand on her lower back and swirled her, lifting her from the ground by taking her on his arms, bridal style. 

Marinette giggled, she crossed her arms around his neck and nuzzled her nose against his. 

“I missed you so much, minou,” 

Adrien kissed the tip of her nose. 

“I missed you too, princess,”

Adrien walked them back to the bed and placed her on top, wrapping her with the satin sheets. 

There was one fluorescent orange leave on top of the quilt. Alya’s. 

Marinette took it and placed it on top of the nightstand. This would work to call for Alya if she needed her. 

Adrien lied next to her and opened his arms, making a space for Marinette to lie on top of him. 

Marinette moved, dragging her hurt body to his arms. 

She hid her face on the crook of his neck and kissed where his pulse throbbed.

“I love you,” She whispered. Her words were true, there was no doubt that she felt them but every time she had said the phrase something bad had happened later. She was afraid that Adrien would not say it back, that he would put just another wall between them and her heart would break again, at the moment that it was starting to restore itself. Because even if she knew, she needed to hear it in that context, she needed to make it real.

The fear was eating her alive, and not even her logical side could stop it, she was all feelings. 

But then he spoke, his voice was soft but his words were full of confidence and they were exactly what Marinette needed. “I love you too.”

**xx**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> are we happy now?  
> they're together again!!
> 
> wow we only have 7 chapters left, we still have some stuff to go through but we're so close to the end :(   
> thank you for reading and i hoped you enjoyed!
> 
> tumblr: peterkavnsky


	25. akumanette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> akumanette:  
> i used the idea i had for this prompt already, 2 chapters ago, it used to be here before but for plot/planning reasons i moved it, so here we sort of talk about it, so it's not -exactly- cheating jaja :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> october is a busy month but november is crazy.  
> i'll try to finish this soon but you've been warned, daily updates are long gone now lol

 

Marinette switched her body so she would face Adrien once again.

He had narrated his journey back to Kertáh, after leaving Luka’s house and explaining him all about the opposition that ran under the nose of the Ketáhn government. 

“They want  _ you  _ in the throne?” Marinette whispered, surprised by that piece of information. 

“Well, thanks, princess, that’s just the trust I need,”

“It’s not what I meant,” Marinette pressed her index finger against his shoulder and pushed him away, unsuccessfully. “I just thought, if they hate your father so much, wouldn’t it be easier to cut down the problem from its root? Get rid of all the Agrestes,”

“We are two, and I accepted the deal so I guess that was plan two if I declined,”

“Yes, but is still weird, isn’t it? They could have ruined their whole plan if you denied,”

“One of my friends, Chloé Bourgeois is part of the revolution and she spoke well of me,”

“Bourgeois? Like the ones of the Vampire Royal Houses?”

“Yes, she is the leader of the north, you have no idea how surprising that’s for me,” Adrien chuckled. “But she recommended me, and here we are,”

“She sounds smart,”

“She is, she doesn't’ act like she is half of the time because she is always whining and she is super spoiled, but she is smart,” Adrien smiled, Marinette gave him a peck on the lips, “She is the one who came out with the plan, I wanted to attack and kill everyone, but Chloé was smarter,”

“She is the one who put me in a cage?” Marinette hissed.

“ _ My lady _ ,”

“I know, I know,” Marinette sighed, “But I’m allowed to be mad,”

“You are,” Adrien nuzzled his nose against the crook of her neck, “I wanted to snap  her neck too,”   
“I did not say that,” Marinette said, rubbing the lower part of his nape, “Stop adding people to your killing list, minou, you won’t ever finish it if you keep doing it,”

“It’s not  _ that _ long, and I have priorities,” 

“If you become king, you can send other people in your name,”   
“Woah, Marinette, where did all this thirst for blood, came from? Did you caught something from mine?”

“Don’t make me answer that, Adrien,” Marinette rubbed the space between her brows, “We are having a moment here, let’s not ruin it,”

Adrien realized his mistake and nodded. 

“I wouldn’t kill anyone anyways, once I’m king,”

“Why?”

“I want to firm The Accords,” Adrien said,  “The opposition wants that too,”

“You want to?” Marinette blinked fast, “That’s going to cause you lots of trouble, it’s not only the government that don’t get along, but our people also don’t like each other very much either,”

“I’ll work to change that,” Adrien assured, “I’m firming those papers, it’s something I’ve wanted for a while,”

“What about your ministers and the senators? Won’t they go against you,”

“Some of them are more loyal to me that they have ever been to my father, the youngest mostly, and I think I have Senator Tsurugi on my side too, since I’m friends with Kagami, and he has a lot of influence,”

“Oh,  _ your fiancé, _ ” Marinette said with a bitter taste on her mouth.

Adrien rose a brow, an amused smirk lifted the corners of his mouth, but instead of teasing her, as much as he wanted to, he shook his head. 

“I’m not marrying her, we are just friends, we have never been in love, Nette,”

“It sounded like she liked you when she threatened me with her sword,”   
“She likes me but not romantically believe me,” Adrien assured, “And I’ll talk to her about the sword business,” 

“She made it quite clear that she was  _ your _ fiancé,”   
“If she was with Nino she was only teasing, and maybe trying to take information out of you,” Adrien squeezed her shoulders. “We have been friends for years and she has a girlfriend who she loves very, very much,”   
“Ah,” Marinette leaned, pressing her head against Adrien’s chest, “But then, wouldn’t the Senator not like you anymore if you don’t marry her?”

“Once my father is out of the throne, Kagami can tell her father that she is dating Chloé and we won’t have any problems, the Senator adores her, he would never do something that could make Kagami sad,”

Marinette didn’t ask anymore. She did not need all that information to know that Adrien would have it hard no matter how many people supported him. But if things went right, if he won and proclaimed the throne, that would set her free too. If she was free she could help him, they could work in their nation's relations together.

For that, she had to make sure Adrien won. 

“So, this resistance,” Marinette said, faking innocence in her voice. Adrien rose a brow, asking her to elaborate, “When do I get to meet them?”

“Uh, once we get you out of here I guess,”

“When is going to be that?” Marinette bugged her eyebrows. 

“When we attack the palace, it will be a nice distraction. 

She pushed Adrien away and sat on the bed. 

“Hey!” 

“Do you realize I’m a powerful witch, do you?”

“Of course I do, Marinette, not only I’ve seen your magic work, but I also almost die when you attacked me when you were possessed by it,”

“Then why don’t you want me to meet them?” Marinette pouted, “I can be useful,”

“I know, and they know, but you still need to drink my blood at least two more times and your whole body hurts, no, no, don’t try to lie to me,” Adrien put one finger up at her, warning her, “I see the way you move, you’re in pain,”

“You’re coming up with excuses… again,” Marinette crossed her arms in front of her chest and flinched. 

Adrien sat next to her and rubbed her arms, he pressed his head on top of hers. “It is dangerous, Marinette. The safe house is in the woods, right now the safest place for you, until you fully recover, is my room,”

“Because I still smell like you, right?” Marinette asked, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hanged there, 

“Right,” Adrien nodded.

“Then there’s no problem! We go together, which means I’ll be right beside you, and I’ll blend in with you,”

After long seconds of trying to give a solid argument, Adrien realized that there was nothing he could say against Marinette’s logic “I don’t know, Nette,”   
“Adrien, why is that I smell like you? Does that usually happen?” Marinette interrupted, not listening to what he was saying before, too caught up on her own curiosity.

“Uh…” He hesitated, he didn’t know what to say because he wasn’t sure of what had happened, he had a theory but he had not confirmed. He was also surprised that she had changed the subject so abruptly. 

“What is it?” Marinette pressed her hands against the mattress, leaning forwards. 

“I think I might have accidentally marked you,” Adrien mumbled.

Marinette went pale. 

“You can’t accidentally mark me, I know a little, it’s an intimate ceremony,” 

“It doesn’t need to be a ceremony, any level of intimacy works,”   
“What do you… oh… like when we had sex?”

“Yeah,” Adrien scratched the nape of his neck,

“And you… you need to bite me for that….” She bit her lip, Adrien pressed her thumb against her mouth and stopped her from doing it.

“I know,” Adrien nodded.

“And how can you accidentally bite me? I don’t remember it… did you co--

“I compelled you only once, and I told you about it, it wasn’t on purpose either,” Adrien growled frustrated, “When you kissed me, my fangs were longer than usual, I told you, I warned you but you still kissed me and I think I scratched your lip, I might have drink a little blood and that would have done the trick. I’m not sure if that was the moment but it’s my best guess,”

“I didn’t bleed,”

“You had to, a little bit at least, and that’s why that time makes sense. My smell started to disappear and only came back when I gave you my blood. I must have marked you but not correctly,”

“But I still smell like you?”

“Yeah, but I know your actual scent so that’s what I smell the most,”   
“And other people?”

“Mostly me,”

“Great, then I really don’t understand why we are losing time,” Marinette took him and pulled him to her, to the end of the bed “Let’s go, kitty,”

“Nette,” He stayed solid on his place, not letting Marinette move him or her.

“Adrien,” Marinette moaned frustrated, “It’ll be fine,”

“What if is not?”

“We won’t worry about it because it won’t happen,”

“Marinette,”

“Take me to them,” Marinette crawled on the bed, back to him, “Let’s go together, Adrien. Aren’t we a team?”

“We are, but--”

“Adrien,” Marinette purred his name. 

She placed her hands against his knees and leaned forward, pushing him away, dropping on his back to the mattress.   
Marinette sat on top of him, she pressed her chest with him and looked at him from above. 

She ducked and pressed one kiss on the corner of his lips.

_ “Please,” _ She begged against his mouth. 

She made her fingers walk on top of his heart and to his mouth, drawing the shape of his lips with her fingertips.

She pouted and flattered her eyelashes

Adrien knew he had lost the battle. 

**xx**

Marinette touched the cold wall and leaned her body against it, fixing the laces of her boots that got trapped on the grating of a sewer. 

“I’ll get you clothes tomorrow,” Adrien promised. 

He fixed the shirt she was wearing, pulling it down so it would cover more of her legs. 

“It would be suspicious,” Marinette said, brushing his hands away and fixing the white shirt under the green emerald blazer herself. He was messing up the look she had worked so hard in.    
“I’ll tell Chloé to buy you some clothes then,”

“With shoes I’m fine,” Marinette said, looking down at the black mid-rise boots Adrien had lent from Kagami’s room that were causing her so much trouble. “It’s better if I use your clothes anyway, you know, your scent,”

“There’s that, and you look so pretty on them,” Adrien checked her out from head to toe. Marinette rolled her eyes and looked away so he wouldn’t see her blush. 

“Pretty enough to make a good impression to your rebel army?” She asked, centering the silver square buckle of the belt.

“Marinette they’re around our age, they won’t mind what you’re wearing,” 

“I mind,” Marinette pursed her lips, “Before you, the last person I met was Alya, I mean, I see lots of customers but those come and go and we barely talk important stuff. This is big for me,”

“You look lovely,” Adrien lifted her chin and gave her a short kiss on the lips.

Marinette dropped her shoulders relieved. She took Adrien’s hand and pulled him closer to him as they resumed their walk through the catacombs and to the woods.

Marinette was excited to meet the resistance group that was backing up Adrien and that wished to take out the King of his throne, she also really wanted to have some words with the people behind the magnificent plan that involved waiting for her to be tortured and locked in a cell. She heard the explanation from Alya and she heard it from Adrien and she understood, it was logical, it was their best approach at the moment, but it wasn’t them who had to gone through it, it had been her. So, she could throw a tantrum or two, she felt she deserved it. 

She was also nervous to meet them. The opposition group was conformed by vampires, and she had never been around so many of them. She had Adrien by her side and she had her magic but it was still scary after spending all her life avoiding them. 

The only vampires she had met, besides Adrien and the King, where Nino and Kagami who had attacked her in the forest. Adrien promised they were good people, that they weren’t like they pretended to be in front of her, but Marinette still didn’t fully believed him. 

At the end of one of the hallways, there was a metal door with a big metal knob in the middle of it. Adrien let go of her hand to open the door and then caught it once again, pulling her closer than before as they stepped outside into the Red Spiral Forest. 

With Adrien by her side, she didn’t feel her skin crawling and if something was about to jump and scare her as intensely as before. The forest still made her feel uneasy but it was easier to go through it with him. She could even admit that there was something beautiful about the red branches and pointy leaves, but she would never consider it a nice place, not after all the horribles memories she had here. 

Adrien knew his way around the forest, he was walking in front of her, not far but at a good distance so he could warn her about the branches she had to dodge or jump, and the changes of direction they made. 

Marinette kept her sight on him the whole time, avoiding that way the environment and the associated memories that were coming back to her. 

Adrien would look back at her every once in a while and gift her a soft smile of reassurance. Marinette would smile back. 

He had just done it again when Marinette saw a glimpse of green that was foreign to Adrien’s eyes, but not completely unfamiliar. She blinked and rubbed her left eye with her hand, opening her eyes wide and looking at his eyes one more time. 

They were back as they always were. 

“Something wrong?” Adrien asked. He stopped and turned around to her, lifting her hand to his lips and brushing them against her knuckles. 

“It’s nothing,” Marinette lied. 

Had she really seen his cat eyes again? It didn’t make any sense for them to have them, he didn’t have the demon inside him so he did not have cat features anymore. 

Marinette shivered. She really wanted to know if she was hallucinating or if something really was going on, but if it was only her imagination that would mean she had to admit that she missed his cat form a little, and that would be too embarrassing to express out loud. It was better to stay quiet. 

“We’re almost there,” Adrien pointed at a point in front of them, but with all the red branches and leaves it was impossible to see what he was pointing out exactly. 

They walked five more minutes until they reached a twisted group of trees. 

Adrien took both of her hands and started walking in reverse, pressing his back against the tree. 

He took her on his arms, one hand around her waist, another hand under her legs. He took one step more and he jumped high. 

Marinette hid her face on Adrien’s chest. She forgot how skilled vampires actually were. 

The jump didn’t take them far, they only jumped over the branches of the trees, to get inside the trunk and make a free fall. Finally landing on soft and wet earth. 

Adrien didn’t put her down until they reached a camouflaged door. 

He knocked three times against the wood and then putting his finger against his mouth, he pierced his fingertip with his fang, dripping a drop of blood that he pressed against the door. 

A “clack” sound echoed and the door opened. 

“Here we are, my lady,” Adrien offered his hand like he hadn’t been holding her the whole time they came here and guided her inside. 

Inside the safe house, everything was different. 

The place was dark and was lightened up with candles and flasks of fairy dust, the walls were made of wood but painted in an old and husky greenish paint. There were keys, weapons and travel bottles on shelves all around it. 

It was well kept to be a safe house, but it was not the prettiest place she had been to.

“Hey everyone,” Adrien called. 

Marinette pressed her body to him, holding his arm. 

The steps came from the corridor at their left. Under the low light of the candles, a skinny blonde girl was walking, smiling at Adrien. 

“Adrikins,” She waved her fingers at him, “What a surprise to have you here,” The girl looked at Adrien’s side, finding Marinette’s sight. She saw the change in her expression. A little smile appeared on her mouth, showing off her shiny fangs. 

“I see you brought your witch,” 

“My name is Marinette,” Marinette said, all her fear evaporated once she got angry. If this girl knew Adrien, she was sure he had told her her name.

“So, I’ve heard,” And there it was. She was not liking this girl, “I’m Chloé, I’m sure Adrikins has told you all about me,”

Marinette’s teeth chirped. 

“I’ve heard a thing or two,”   
“What’s wrong with her? She doesn’t look as badass as she did when she was trying to kill us all,”

“If you want me to then I--

“Chloé can you shut up for five minutes?” Adrien interrupted her, exhausted. 

“Ugh, whatever,” Chloé rolled her eyes, “I assume you’re here to see Max,”

Marinette pulled of Adrien’s shirt so he would look at her when he did, she asked him with her sight if they could leave the girl behind. 

“Yes, Max,” Adrien nodded, “Where’s he?”

“On his studio,” Chloé said and pointed at the opposite hallway, “Sixth door to the left,”

“Thanks, Chlo,” Adrien smiled.

Chloé did too. She gave one last look at Marinette from head to toe and stopped on her feet.

“Are those Mimi’s shoes?”

“See you later!” Adrien said and pulled Marinette with him, running as fast as he could, making Marinette almost trip since she couldn’t keep up with his speed. 

Adrien knocked on the mentioned door and opened before they could hear any answers. 

The room was clean and organized, it was nothing like the atmosphere outside, everything here looked extremely calculated. 

There were shelves with books on the right side, and cabinets full of metal flasks. There was a bed in the corner and a table on the other side, that’s where the man that welcomed stood.

“Prince Adrien!” A short man with dark skin welcomed Adrien with joy. 

“This is Max,” Adrien presented him, encouraging him to take one step forward to him,  which Max did, “He is a half warlock,” Marinette’s interest piqued and it showed on her whole body,  “Max, this is the  _ real _ Marinette, my girl,”

“It’s pleasure to meet you,” Marinette said and gave a little bow at him. 

“Oh, your Highness, High-End Witch, the pleasure is all mine,” Max said, giving a 90-degree bow. 

“He didn’t greet me like that,” Marinette heard Adrien said only for Marinette to hear, between a giggle.

“Just Marinette is fine,” Marinette said, laughing uncomfortably. She would never get used to those titles, she only allowed Tikki to tell them, and only when it was extremely necessary. 

“Oh, I couldn’t,” Max said between a nervous laugh.

“I can’t believe this, he likes you more than he likes me,” Adrien whispered on her ear. He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her to his body, “Max here is the one who made the zombie so we could take you out of the cell,”

“You did?” Marinette rose a brow. Was she supposed to be mad at him or happy that he was the reason why she was out?

“Only a part, your Highness, it was mostly you,” Max said, “I managed the zombie but we used your necklace to make the illusion. Mine would never be as stable as yours,”

“The necklace I gave you?” Marinette looked up, at Adrien’s sight.

He nodded, “I accidentally dropped it and Max got inspired. He is talented,”   
“You must be very powerful,”

“No sense, your Highness, I’m only a hybrid, I was only resourceful,”

“I’ve learned that being resourceful is way more important than being powerful,” Marinette smiled, “And you pulled off a great plan, so don’t underestimate yourself,”

“I will not,” He shook his head and then nodded with fervor, “Thank you so much, Princess,” 

Adrien growled and sent a deathly glare at Max. “Your Highness is fine but 'princess' is out of limits, understood?”

“I’m sorry, Prince,” Max bowed. 

Marinette slapped Adrien’s arm. He whined.

“Don’t listen to him, he is being a jerk,” Marinette broke free from Adrien’s hug and pushed him aside. 

“My lady,” Adrien wailed. 

“Behave, remember that you’re on thin ice, Adrien Agreste,” She twirled one finger, about to throw sparks at him but stopped before she could cast the spell.

Adrien pouted like a little kid. Marinette had to look away to avoid laughing. 

“Is there any reasons you visit, your Highness?” Max asked.

“I wanted to meet you guys,” Marinette smiled, “I want to help your cause,”

“Nette,”

“Thin ice, Adrien,”

“Ugh,” 

“Help us? That would be wonderful but we’re under Prince Adrien’s orders so…”

“He won’t stop me from participating if I decide to, because he is a good boy and won’t act like a manipulative jerk, right  _ chaton _ ?”

“ _ Right _ ,” Adrien grimaced. 

“Okay,” Max nodded, still looking directly at Adrien, “But, as much as we would love to have you fighting by our sides, I must ask, are you in conditions to do so? Prince Adrien has informed us that his father pretends to act in six days,”

Marinette felt defeated. That question erased all the confidence she had in her at the moment. 

No, she wasn’t in conditions to give a good fight. Her body still hurt, her magic was still all over the place and she still lacked the training to use it at its peak and not turn into a marionette controlled by her own powers. 

But, she lied. “I can do it,” 

She heard Adrien’s gasp of disbelief, and it hurt that he had as little confidence in her as she had. 

“She is in pain, her magic took over her and used her as a puppet,” Adrien said as if he had just read her mind, “If she is okay in five days, she can fight but she can’t use too much magic or we’ll lose control of her,”

“I won’t”

“You don’t know,”

“Chloé and Kagami informed me of the situation,” Max interrupted, he sounded uncomfortable but Marinette was thankful for his intervention. “But that was because of the venom, right?”

“Not completely,” Marinette sighed, “I stopped my official training at fourteen, I can’t fully control my powers and The Witch Court forbid me of using much of it, I can get high on it pretty easily,”

“That’s what I feared,” Max whispered. 

Marinette hugged herself and squeezed her arms. 

“So I won’t be helpful, uh?”   
“No, I think you’re still are helpful,” Max said, making Marinette’s face light up, “I believe you’re powerful enough to use little doses of your power and still win, but still I think that in these five days, you should test your limits, your Highness”   
“You really think so?”

“That doesn't sound like a good idea,” Adrien meddled. Marinette hushed him. “Gee, princess,”

“I love you but you need to stay quiet,” Marinette said and nodded at Max so he would keep talking. 

“Our powers are tied to our emotions so I believe that part of why you can’t go up with your powers and why you easily fall on the intoxicating state of magic is because you’re afraid of it,” Max explained, “You must have a familiar, right?”

“Yes, Tikki,” Marinette nodded, “I haven’t seen her since I got captured by Sancoeur. I think she escaped, she couldn’t be of much help so she hid, I haven’t contacted her ever since. Should I?”

“Not here,” Max denied, “Sancoeur must be following your magic fluctuation if I was you I wouldn’t use magic outside of the palace. They’re going to wait six days, so they’re expecting for your magic to grow, she won’t be surprised if it intensifies, but she will be surprised if your magic comes from another place and not the palace,”

“Makes sense,” It also made sense that Adrien’s room was the safest place right now. 

“If you allow me to, I’ll lend you something to make your magic use easier,” Max snapped his fingers and a whistling melody surrounded the room. 

Adrien covered his ears and wrinkled his nose annoyed. 

Right beside Max, a blue luminescence titled. 

“You have an Igigi!” Marinette smiled at the blue creature and then pouted, “Mine must be starving,”

“You’ve had one, perfect,”   
“Not really, I caught it with Adrien, I’ve had no chance to train it,” Marinette sighed, “It is just like me,”

“Don’t say that,” Adrien pressed his hands on her shoulders and kissed her head. 

“It's the truth,” Marinette blew a raspberry. 

“There’s nothing bad about not having training, your Highness,” Max interrupted, “It only means you can get better if you start, and your lack of training is not your fault, it's The Court’s,” 

“Thank you, Max,” Marinette looked at him with tender eyes. 

“Now, let me tell you how my Igigi will be useful to you,” 

Max started slow, mostly for Adrien who was strived to understand everything they were saying so he could help Marinette. 

Marinette knew that Igigis besides doing errands for witches, were most helpful for familiars, they gave them more power and stability, abilities they lacked in this dimension. 

What Max wanted with his Igigi, was for Marinette to use it on her familiar, so that when she would get possessed by Tikki she would have more control over her and cut her connection to magic when things went out of hand. 

It was a perfect plan and also easy to execute. 

Marinette was so excited that when Max finished and give her his Igigi, she jumped out of her seat, ran to the door, pulling Adrien with her and thanking Max before running to the back door, so they would come back to the palace and start practicing, forgetting all the initial excitement that had brought her to the safe house in the first place. 

Adrien ran into some people that greeted him full of happiness. Marinette greeted them too, she tried her best to pay attention, remember their names, introduce herself correctly and let them know that she was going to help. She did a pretty neat job but her mind was actually somewhere else. 

Adrien noticed too. He cut short all his conversations with polite goodbyes. By the way, people reacted to him, Marinette realized he was deeply loved and respected, and that made her happy. 

She had chosen well after all. 

**xx**

 

Back in the palace, Marinette had no time to lose. 

They entered Adrien’s room, and Marinette started moving around. She took off the shoes and most of her outfit, only leaving the big white shirt on so she would be more comfortable. 

She moved the table and the sofa Adrien had and created more space for her to perform her magic. 

She took the Igigi out of the crystal ball Max had lent her and she placed it on top of her head. And stood in position, ready to begin. 

Adrien was looking at her from the bench in front of the bed. If it was for him he would be right next to her but she didn’t need the distraction. 

First things first, she needed to call Tikki. 

Marinette extended her arm in front of her, she pointed with her index and middle finger and then bent her elbow so her hand would be close to her mouth.

Marinette pressed her fingers on her lips and give it a kiss. 

It was not part of the ritual, but she used it that moment to wink at Adrien. He chuckled and shook his head amused, throwing a flying kiss back at her. 

Marinette closed her eyes and felt the rush of magic hitting her. 

“ _ Bounded to my soul, married to my cause, deity of the night, protector of my dark. I call for your presence and I ask for your help, _ ” She whispered lower than usual, “ _ Manifest! _ ” 

There was a tear on the dimension and Tikki appeared flying directly towards her. 

“Marinette! I’ve been so worried, I’m so sorry I left, I didn’t know what else to do!” The little red demon left kisses all over her forehead and started to sob, “I thought I’d lost you!”

“Oh, no, Tikki, no,” Marinette whispered. She took Tikki in her hands a kissed her tiny forehead, “I’m okay, a few bumps in the road that’s all,”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” Marinette nodded. She looked up, where the Igigi was making a circle, “I got you a friend,” She said, pointing at the blue light. 

“An Igigi?” Tikki said, a little disgusted, “I don’t need a babysitter, Marinette,”   
“It’s not for you, it’s for her,” Adrien said from afar, “Hello, Tikki,”

“Ugh what is he still doing here?” Tikki floated in front of Marinette extending her arms making a gesture of protection, “He is less hairy but he still radiates shady vibes, Marinette, stranger than before,”   
“Saint Ana! When will you trust me?” Marinette giggled, “You’ll have to get used to him because that guy over there is my boyfriend, Tikki,” 

“I’m an incredibly lucky guy what can I say?” Adrien shrugged as he looked at Tikki, “I’ll be nice, I promise, Tikki,”

“We’ll see,” Tikki narrowed her eyes at him. 

“Let’s focus on the important subject, shall we?” Marinette asked. 

Marinette explained the situation to Tikki. She skipped a few important parts of her narration because there was no time to explain how awful her days in the dungeons had been only for Tikki to start crying. 

Marinette put emphasis on her talk with Max, on his suggestions and she warned Tikki that she was about to use more magic than the usual amount. 

Tikki had been unsure at first but after Marinette’s constant pleads she agreed to do it.

Tikki had never blended her powers with an  _ Igigi  _ before and she didn’t look pleased to do it either but she did it quickly. 

Marinette would compare it to the process she had gone through with Tikki to become master and familiar, only that here Tikki was the master. 

“How are you feeling Tikki?” Marinette asked, looking over at her demon. Nothing looked like it changed. 

“Like always, I can hear the whistle of that creature a little louder now,”    
“Great, that means it works,” Marinette nodded, “Ready for the next step?”

“Yes,” She nodded. 

Marinette aligned her hand with her nose and then dropped it to her lips. 

“Possess,” 

She felt Tikki getting inside the earrings and the snap of magic inside of her. 

“We’re ready to begin,” Marinette said to no one in particular. 

She stood in the middle of the room and opened her hands in front of her. 

“What are you going to do?” Adrien asked. 

“I’ll call for my magic, I’ll see until what point I’m able to reach when I start to lose control and then the Igigi should be able to tell Tikki to stop sharing magic or I’ll be consumed by magic,”

“So you won’t turn into that scary version of you?”

“Scary version of me?” 

“You were still pretty hot,” Adrien winked, Marinette rolled her eyes, “But you were glowing and your eyes were made of white light and it was like you were under someone’s control, it was not you,” 

“Well, I was under my magic’s control,”

“Yes, but it looked like you wanted revenge,” 

“I want revenge, Adrien,” Marinette looked down, “My magic was moving me towards that goal,” 

“Don’t be ashamed,” Adrien stood up and walked to her. Marinette put one hand up, asking him to stop. “I don’t think there’s nothing wrong with you wanting to get back at everyone who’s hurt you, bloody hell,  _ I  _ am waiting for the moment when I can avenge you,”

“Still, if I ever do it,” Marinette put one finger up, a warning for Adrien who looked really happy at that phrase, “I don’t want to be under control, I want to be fully conscious,”

“I understand,” Adrien nodded, “So, I guess you have to begin now,”

Marinette nodded. “I hope it works, I’m still exhausted and in pain so,”

“Then tonight we just try if the Igigi works, tomorrow we get into the real business. Sounds good?”   
“Sounds good,” 

Marinette shook her arms and put them one more time in front of her, hands open and already tingling with magic. 

Marinette started whispering on  _ Ifyural _ dialect, just by then realizing that this whole time, Adrien and she had been speaking in  _ Teurn _ , the neutral dialect of all the nations. She wondered if Adrien was understanding a word of what she was saying. She had had trouble understanding a few of his words when he spoke to the King in his own language. 

Marinette kept whispering, focusing on the little sphere that started to take shape between her hands. Lighting and sparks were coming out of it and growing in size. 

She could have started throwing random spells and increase in intensity, but calling for her magic to take physical shape was the fastest option she could think of, and the riskiest too, but she was not about to admit that.  

Her hands were shaking frantically already, containing the magic on her hands, and the energy was sending strong shivers down her spine. 

She looked at Adrien from the corner of her eye, checking his reaction. He was pale and his eyes were glowing, again. Marinette shook her head and returned her attention to the magic. It was not time to get curious. 

As she called for more power, her body broke down a little, magnifying the initial ache she had. 

Marinette felt the exact moment when she started to lose control. The lightings of the white sphere changed to a soft shade of red and one big flame involved the whole sphere. 

A shot of liquid fear ran through her body and the fire became wilder. 

“ _ Nette, _ ”

“I’m fine,” Marinette lied. 

Max had been right, Marinette knew he was but right now she could see it right in front of her, in the way her magic was behaving. Her fear was what made it harder to control it. 

Marinette took a sharp breath. She ignored her trembling body and the pain, she pretended her magic was not about to overflow and take over her, she lied to herself and repeated on her mind: I’m not afraid. 

There was no sudden change, it was exponential. The more Marinette said the words, the more she believed them and her power started to take a more defined shape again. Still, it was too much magic for her to handle without any practice and she was soon to reach her breaking point, but she couldn’t stop, she had to test if Max’s Igigi was of help. 

Marinette felt like a wire was wrapping around her waist and started to tighten up, leaving her breathless and in immense pain. She heard the wire snap and the energy burst around her. 

“Marinette!” The voice echoed inside of her. 

An annoying high pitched whistle took over every part of her mind and Marinette was unable to stop it. It kept going, every time it started the melody it went up an octave, higher and higher every time. 

Marinette screamed. 

She opened her eyes, not realizing she had them closed and saw the floor in front of her. She felt the pain on her left arm, the arm that was pressed against the floor. 

Marinette touched her earrings. Tikki was still inside and she was safe, just like she was. 

She snapped her fingers and released her. 

“Bye, Tikki, you did a good job, go rest,” She said goodbye with a smile, gave one more snap of her fingers and Tikki smiled back, vanishing in the air. 

Adrien lifted her and walked her to the bench. He brushed her hair and fixed her shirt. 

“Are you okay?” Adrien asked he was kneeling at her side, offering her a hand. 

Marinette nodded and took his hand, standing up.

“It works,” Marinette smiled, “It worked, Adrien,”

“It did, princess,” He said giving him a smile back, “And it was so quick. You were floating and glowing one second and then five seconds later you’re back on the floor. I’m sorry I didn’t catch you, by the way, I didn’t know if I should interrupt”

“It’s fine,” Marinette threw herself at his arms and let her body fully relax.

Adrien crossed one arm around her waist and pulled them together into the mattress. 

“Tired?” He asked, rubbing her back with the points of his fingertips. She was thankful he wasn’t asking anything else. 

“Extremely,” Marinette nodded. 

“We can try again tomorrow,” He whispered, she nodded. Under any other circumstances, she would have tried again but her body was begging her to take a break, “You need to drink my blood, and then go to sleep,” He suggested. 

“No, no blood,” Marinette pouted. 

“You have to, we need to make sure it’s all gone, Nette,”

“Tomorrow morning, please,” She begged, fluttering her eyelashes at him. 

“Ugh, you’re lethal, I swear,” Marinette giggled and kissed his cheek. “Sleep then?”   
“Sleep sounds good,”

Adrien smacked a kiss against her mouth, rolled her on bed wrapping her in the quilt and then jumped out, walking to the closet. 

Adrien took his clothes and threw them on top of a chair, changing into a pair of blue silk pants. 

Marinette looked from a distance, studying his every move. 

They were going to sleep, she was going to sleep next to him, in his bed, together, cuddling, kissing, loving each other, just like those nights in her cottage. Well, maybe a little different since he was different now, but besides that, everything was back to normal, her new normal. 

Marinette hugged her legs and pressed her cheek against her knee. 

She loved this, she loved him. 

She had not forgiven him completely but her love for him was stronger than her resentment. 

Marinette checked every angle of him, every little expression he did as he cleaned his clothes and walked around the bedroom. He looked tired, he hadn’t shown it before but she could see the bags under his eyes. 

He had been through a lot too. Marinette had been directly affected but Adrien was caught up in this disaster too and he was moving a lot of the strings in this plan. He also had been taking care of her, shared his blood, lied to his father and put on a good act as the Prince of Kertáh. He was only days to lead a rebellion. 

He was giving his best, was she giving hers?

Maybe she had to try one more time. Sleep could wait. 

She stood up from the bed and walked back to the point she had been before. 

“What are you doing? We said we were going to sleep,”

“I have to try one more time,”   
“You’re tired, you can do this tomorrow,”

“Now is good too,”

“Marinette,”

“What if I can’t do it?” Marinette whispered. “What if I can’t reach a good level and I fail you?”

“You will do it, I know you will,” Adrien nodded, “And I’ll be here with you when you do so. It is you and me against the world, princess,”

“Against your manic father you mean,” Marinette blew the hair out of her face.

“That too,” Adrien chuckled and then his eyes glimmered again and took the shape of the ones of a cat. 

Yes, this couldn’t be her imagination. 

“Adrien,” Marinette whispered cautiously.

“Yes?”

“Why are you eyes cat-like again?” 

“Oh…” Adrien dropped his sight. He rubbed the back of his neck and then tugged his hair.

Why was he nervous?

“I was going to talk to you about it later, I thought you would be curious so I wanted to give it time to process it but I guess, here we go,”

“What are you talking about?” Marinette wrinkled her nose, showing how confused she was feeling.

“Plagg,” Adrien called. 

A black dot popped in the air and a little demon shaped like a cat came out of it. 

Marinette stepped back, shocked by it. How had he appeared without tearing the portals of dimensions? And why was it here?!

“That’s the demon that possessed you,” Marinette opened her mouth in the perfect shape of an o, “Why isn’t he with Luka?”

“He is here so you could talk to him, lady,” The demon stuck out his tongue. 

“Plagg, be polite,” Adrien side eyed him. 

“She is the one that’s being rude,” 

Marinette scoffed, “I don’t have to be polite to a liar. You tricked Adrien and turned him into a cat,”

“You say it like it wasn’t because of me you met him, and don’t act like you didn’t like it, I was inside that ring the whole time,” 

Marinette’s face stained in a perfect shade of red, similar to the one of a ruby.

“Plagg!” Adrien covered his face with his hands, “I’m sorry, Nette,”

“Just explain to me why he is still here,” Marinette pursed her lips in displeasure. 

“I’ll just show you,” Adrien fixed the ring on his hand and lifted his fist, “Possess me,” He whispered.

“For Saint Ana, Adrien what do you think you are you-” Marinette was interrupted by the black smoke that covered Adrien’s body, and once it faded away Adrien’s feline form was staring back at her, “-doing?”

“Ta-da!” Adrien waved his hands, hands with  _ claws _ . 

“You’re a cat again,” Marinette said in shock “Like when the demon turned you into a cat,”

“Yes,”

“Is he inside the ring that caused so much trouble before,” Marinette almost chokes on her own words.    
“Yes, he grew attached to it,”

Marinette made the sound of a “pop” with her mouth. 

This had turned more complicated than she had predicted. 

“We’ll talk about this tomorrow, I’m too tired to think,” Marinette rubbed her temples and threw herself on the bed. 

“Stressed?”

“Yes, Adrien,  _ very much, _ ” 

“Do you want to sleep with me like this?” Adrien asked, sitting next to her. 

“I….”  _ Yes _ , “Why?”

“You had nightmares when I was staying in your cottage and every time you had one I would hold you and start purring and that put you at ease,” Adrien explained, pushing his now black hair to the side, “I know you don’t remember because I never said anything but if it worked when you were sleeping. You are stressed so I think I could help,”

“Ah,”

“Okay, I’ll go back to myself,” Marinette took his hand, covering the ring with her own hand.

“No,” Marinette shook her head, “Purring is nice, fuzzy Adrien is nice,”

“Alright, whatever my lady wants,” He said before catching her in a tight hug. 

**xx**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel the end approaching, do you?  
> also i had to bring back our good friend furrynette for good ol nostalgia, even if it's more subtle this time.  
> and this chapter is a calm one, since we have been full of intense emotions for the past 5 (?)  
> also a phrase i had already written before mayura is here, so i guess now is some sort of easter egg/parallel??  
> yeah whatevs 
> 
> hope you enjoyed!
> 
> tumblr: camielovelace ( i changed urls!) here you can find my multiple posts where i whine about writing and how is the writing process going and a few previews of future chapters of my fics xx


	26. what was that?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what was that?
> 
> the phrase is never said, but there's a "what was that" moment, maybe more than one if you squint your eyes :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> university wants to kill me but i manage to dodge its attack and survive, so yeah here is a chapter :D  
> actually i should be studying now but i really wanted to post this (i did one edit but as you know mistakes you never saw before suddenly appear once you post the chapter, isn't' that curious?

Marinette stood from the floor for the seventh time that morning, this time with less strength than before.

She fixed the collar of the red silk shirt she was wearing and adjusted the high knee socks Adrien had brought her despite her effort to convince him that it was not necessary.

She brushed the pieces of hair that were escaping from her braid away from her face and put her hands in front of her, ready to try to stay in control of her own person once again.

“You should take a break, M,” Alya sounded more tired than Marinette was feeling. She was floating on top of her head and her face was very transparent, showing how much she did not approve of this type of training.

“We have four days, Alya,” Marinette reminded her, “There’s no time to lose,”

“You’re pushing yourself too hard,”

“I don’t want to feel helpless ever again, this is not pushing, this is taking care of myself,”

“That’s until you break,”

“I won’t break,”

“We are Ms. Confidence now, aren’t we?”

“Attitude is everything, my darling,” Marinette put on a smug smile.

Alya rolled in the air, her laugh filled the room.

It was a strange feeling to feel at ease when you considered the situation they were in. She was in enemy territory and they were only a few days away from fighting the King and his government. This moment should be filled with anguish and stress but Marinette was feeling happy.

Alya was helping her train so it wasn’t so dull and tiring as training alone would be. Adrien had left early, before the sunrise (it was still strange to Marinette that the whole vampire palace worked when the sun was up. Faes and Goblins did it, a few witches too, but the Witch Palace was always more active at night, so the fact that vampires, the race that should avoid the sun, worked under it was strange) but he had made the little time he had worth it.

Marinette smiled at the memory of their last kiss. She would never get tired of seeing his breathless expression. To know she was the reason behind all the emotions that crossed his eyes filled her heart with joy.

So, Marinette had her best friend with her, she had a boyfriend that didn’t turn up to be a traitor and actually loved her very much and she had decided that she wasn’t going to be scared anymore and was going to hurt the idiotic King where it hurt him the most.

The good was heavier on the balance, so life was sort of great. If her aching body would get it together, then life would be absolutely perfect.

Marinette shook her shoulders and stretched her neck. She opened her hands in front of her and the magic began to take its shape instantly. The witch didn’t have to think about it anymore, her body and energy were on automatic.

She had made some progress, it was little but she counted it as a victory. She was able to feel when her body levitated and when her hair started to float around her head before her aura got illuminated. She felt the exact moment when her magic took control, a thing she had not been able to do before.

She should have ignored the rules imposed by The Witch Court sooner.

Marinette’s skin begun to burn, the release of magic strengthened, and wind swirled around the room finding its way around Marinette.

The sounds around her became louder as if they were closer to her and because of the enhancing hearing she knew someone was approaching the room.

Marinette closed her hands with a loud clap, the magic snapped and sparkles jumped around.

Alya caught them on her hands before they turned into flames.

Unable to hear the steps anymore, she ran to the closet to hide. The flames of the kitsune stopped her mid-walk.

“It’s safe, it’s just Nino,” Alya said before the door opened and the boy from the woods entered.

There was no need to think it twice, with no hesitation left inside of her, Marinette snapped her fingers and an invisible force took Nino by his heel and made him float, turning him upside down.

The scream that came out of his lips was a sweet melody for Marinette.

“Marinette!” Alya took Nino by his arms and tried to pull him back to the floor but the witch had no intention to let him go just yet.

“Please, High Witch of whatever you’re supposed to be, I get it! I’m sorry, put me down!”

Covering her mouth with her hand, she faked a yawn and made him spin in the air two times.

“M, put him down!”

“You’re not fun, Lya,” Marinette whined and with a swing of her index finger she dropped the vampire to the shiny tiles.

He fell on his butt, complaining and murmuring intelligible words. Marinette could only imagine that they were curses directed to her.

“That’s for the woods,” A toothy grin appeared on Marinette’s mouth, not a drop of regret on her face.

“She is scary,” Nino whispered to Alya while she helped him stand up.

“And that was nothing to what I can actually do so you better be careful,” She threatened

“Where was that attitude when we attacked you on the woods?” Nino said back and closed his mouth immediately after getting one glare from Marinette. “Don’t kill me, please, Adrien loves me very much,”

“Then you better prove why,”

“He is nice, Mari,” Alya hung from her arm and rested her head on her shoulder, “Funny and polite, you’ll like him, I promise,”

“You seem to like him a lot,” Marinette rose a brow at her best friend, reading more than what was said by the tune of her voice, “I thought I was the only one who had made new friends,”

“Oh, shut up,” Alya pushed her face away. Marinette couldn’t help but laugh.

“I was on your side of the woods by the way,” Nino put one finger up, “I stopped Kagami from doing real damage,”  
“She cut me with a sword and you were enjoying it, I don’t see that as ‘being on my side’,” She took long steps to stand right in front of him.

“You did _what?_ ” Alya’s voice echoed in the room like a roar and this time it was Alya who made Nino float.

“It wasn’t like that! I promise!” Nino was screaming again but he sounded less scared than when Marinette was the one pulling magic on him. It only confirmed her suspicions, something was going on between him and Alya, “I can prove it,”

“How?” The two girls said at the unison.

“I haven’t given back this to Adrien, because I was going to give it to you,” He said, “Also, when I saw it I was ready to protect you, but you escaped and we weren’t able to catch you to take you back with us,”

“Really?” Marinette asked. She did remember that he called out for her.

“Yes,” Nino nodded, “And here is the proof,” From his right pocket Nino took a golden chain and showed it to the witch who reacted instantly with much joy.

“I thought I lost it!” Marinette sighed relieved, “Thank you,”

“No problem, it was kind of my fault that you lost it on the first place,” He put it on top of her extended hand.

“Yes, it was,” Marinette nodded as she contemplated Adrien’s gift.  

“That necklace means a lot to Adrien, you know?” Nino said, touching the jewel drop, “It’s one of the few things his father let him keep, you must mean just as much if not more,”

Marinette held the necklace dearly close to her heart.

_Adrien loves me, Adrien loves me, Adrien loves me!_

It was not new information but it was still lovely to hear it.

“Are you happy?” Nino asked

“She is,” Alya nodded. She was floating on top of Nino but for some unnecessary reason she was leaning her arms against his shoulders, peeking her head at each side of him as she talked.

“Good because we’re getting company,” Nino said and run to open the door.

Chloé and Kagami entered, holding hands two seconds after that.

Marinette winced. They looked cute together but she was not fond of none of the girls.

“Adrien said you would be training,” Kagami said.

Really? Not a greeting, not an apology for using her sword against her in the woods? Just disappointment.

“Hello to you too,” Marinette rose a brow at her.

“You don’t make her float?” Nino whined.

“I released my anger with you, I’m fine now,” And she had the feeling that Adrien would get mad at her if she did something. He had already explained himself and her role in his life.

The couple leaned against each other and examined the bedroom, then their judgmental sight dropped on the witch. They looked at her from head to toe and then backward.

The blonde was the one to restart the conversation.

“Max sent this,” Chloé threw a bottle at Marinette that she stopped with her magic, “He said it will help you if you start to feel nauseous,”

“Thank you,” She genuinely said, but not to her, to Max, even if he wasn’t present.

“Have you had nausea?” Kagami asked.

“Not yet,”

“Good, then we can try something,” Kagami smiled brightly to Chloé. She could do that? She could look happy? Wow, Marinette was utterly surprised.

And she was surprised once again when Adrien’s bedroom turned into a battleground.

Kagami was the first to attack. She jumped and did a pirouette in the air, taking her sword out of the scabbard.

Did she bring that everywhere she went? Seemed like it.

Marinette dodged her attack without using magic, she was fast enough to move aside. But then Chloé joined her girlfriend, waving and throwing her whip at her.

The silver and heavy weapon brushed against her arm, leaving behind a red area.

Marinette gasped.

These girls were insane, but they were not going to win.

She stood still and waited for them to attack again and when they did she was ready.

On her left Kagami was swinging her sword, running towards her.

Marinette waited until the perfect moment and stopped the sword right in front of her face, grabbing it with her hand, using her magic so the blade wouldn’t cut her, her skin was thicker and stronger than the metal.

The swinging sound of another wound announced its soon arrival, Marinette lifted a hand in the direction she heard it and the whip froze mid-air, falling from Chloé’s hand, that burn because of the sudden ice against her skin.

“What’s wrong with you two?!” Marinette asked cutting her magic and giving the girls their weapons back in their normal state.

“Trying you out,” Chloé grinned.

“She’s good,” Kagami smiled at Nino. Marinette could tell that was not a common look on her and she felt proud of herself.

“Couldn’t expect anything less, she is Adrien’s type after all,” Nino shrugged.

“I’m my own person actually,”

The three vampires shared a look.

“A hundred percent Adrikins type,” Chloé clicked her tongue.

And as if they had invoked him, Adrien opened the door and entered the room.

His posture screamed that it had been a bad day.

He was wearing black from head to toe, and a cloak over his shoulders made of a satin fabric, he had golden buttons at each side that looked like jingle bells with a chain tying them together to keep the cloak on. His diadem got lost on his hair with such similar colors, if it wasn’t for the blood crystal decorating it she wouldn’t have noticed that he was wearing one at all.

Because of her long staring, her sight clashed with his. The stress of the day wore off when he saw her.

Marinette ran to him. He opened his arms and she jumped to hug him, wrapping herself all around him.

“I missed you,”

“I missed you too, princess,” He smacked one kiss on her cheek and walked with her still hanging of his body. “Hey everyone,”

“Oh, I thought we had turned invisible,”

“Almost,” Adrien flashed a bright smile. Marinette kissed it. “How’s your day going?”

“Your girl there made me float,”

“Ah, I know the feeling, she makes me feel like I’m floating all the time,” Marinette snuggled him.

“You are disgusting,”

“They’re adorable,” Alya hit Nino’s shoulder “We should leave them alone,”

“She has to train,” Kagami said.

“Training, training, training, that’s all you think about,” Alya rolled her eyes,” Things are tense, we need to relax before battle and training is not all there is. Also, Mari has been training the whole morning, she deserves a break and snuggles from her boyfriend,”

“As much as I like your plan,” Adrien intervene, “I need people to see me around the castle and do some prince duties for a few minutes before coming back,”

“Oh,” Marinette sighed.

“It’ll be only for a while,” He promised, “I’ll take a walk with Kagami for a few minutes, hopefully, a few guards, or if we’re lucky my father, will see us and I’ll help to cover,”

“I didn’t know I was involved in your plan,”

“Now you are,” He pulled her to his side and wrapped his hand with hers, “This is beneficial for both of us,”

“I know,” Kagami made her eyes quiver, irritated. “But are we going to go with a witch koala hanging from you?”

“Hey,” Marinette frowned at her but jumped to the floor, away from Adrien.

She was stopped by him and his hug. He left a kiss on her cheek and nuzzled against her.

“Don’t miss me too much,” He took her hands and spun her around.

“I won’t, I’ll practice a little more,”

“Don’t overwork yourself, okay?” Adrien kissed her knuckles  
“Okay,” She nodded, “I’ll see you later, minou,”

“I’ll see you later, princess,”

**xx**

Adrien came back two hours later. He spent longer than he first intended but a bunch of senators and ministers saw him and he stopped to talk to them, considering the situation he was in, he needed as many allies as he could have so, sadly, his time with Marinette had to wait.

But, he was finally back. He opened the door to his room with the silver key he was carrying and entered the room, closing with the same key.

His sight was drawn to the place of the room where Marinette had been training the whole day but she wasn’t there.

“Oh, kitty, kitty,” She called from the other side of the room and he followed her voice. She was sitting on the bench of the piano with sheet musics on her hands, “You’re finally back, I was bored,”

“I’m sorry but I had to,” He pouted and made his way to her, “I’ll change into more comfortable clothes and we can spend the evening together,”

She nodded and he ran to his closet. The fastest he was the sooner he would be with Marinette.

He was starting to unclasp his cloak when Marinette called for him.

He turned. She was not on the piano anymore.

Marinette was sitting on his bureau, checking him out from head to toe. She was biting her lip, adding the cherry on top to the sensual vision that she was. The red silk shirt she was wearing had two unbuttoned buttons and was hanging low on her shoulder, showing her collar bones, leaving room for his wild imagination to recreate her wonderful figure. Her hair was messy and wavy after losing it up from the braid, and her eyes were sparkling with something that Adrien would like to call desire.

“Are you going to watch me as I change?” He rose a brow, a mischievous smile sparkled on his lips.

“Who knows?” She shrugged, “I’m actually more interested in your outfit,”

“Of course you are,” Adrien huffed. It had not taken him long to see how much Marinette liked fashion, she had more outfits that she would ever wear and she was always worried of how she looked, not because of vanity but because she was extremely creative and wanted to try new things to dress up every day.

“I really like this,” Marinette took the edges of the cloak on her hands and pulled him close to her.

“It’s a nice cloak,” He agreed, following her game, whatever it was.

“Uh,” She nodded, her hands traveling through the cloth, “Can I try it on?”

Adrien chuckled. Was she serious? Were they really doing that?

“Of course, my lady,”

He unclasped the chain of the golden circles, opening it up. He took it by the sides and passed it the fabric on top of his shoulders with a circular motion, that made it easier to pass the cloak to Marinette. He fixed it on her shoulders and tied up the chain around her.

“All done,” He smiled proudly.

Marinette caressed the soft fabric, forgetting all about him. “It’s pretty but so warm,”

“Well, it’s getting cold here, winter is just around the corner,”

“But your room is so hot,” Marinette pouted.

“The chimney is on, Nette,” He laughed.

“Too hot,” Marinette waved her hand in front of her face, opening her lips as she moaned frustrated. Adrien followed her every move, they were too theatrical to not be focused on them, and then he realized that Marinette was moving her other hand on top of her chest, unbuttoning the shirt more and more, making it fall open around her hips.

Oh, so _this_ was what was going on.

Adrien chuckled.

“Why are you laughing, kitty? It doesn’t look good on me?”

“You look wonderful, my lady,”

“Maybe is because the look is incomplete,” Marinette drew shapes with her finger on top of Adrien’s chest as she pretended to be heartbroken by her look.

“What is missing, princess?” He leaned down to whisper on her ear and placed one hand on her naked leg, going up and down.

“Accessories,” Marinette’s hands traveled up his shoulders, neck and to his head, touching the silver crown.

“The prince rose a brow amused, was she really asking for his crown? Of course, she was. He took her hands between his and helped her take the crown from his head, they lifted it together and then positioned it on top of her head.

It was a size too big for her, so it crooked, leaning towards her left side, nonetheless, she looked gorgeous, and he made sure to tell her so she would know.

“Damn you’re beautiful,” Adrien gasped. He placed his hands on the bureau, and leaned towards her, almost touching her face.

A sneaky smile lighted up her lips. Marinette pressed her feet against his hip bone and started to extend her leg, pushing him away.  
“What are you doing?”

“I think I look like a queen, don’t you?” He nodded like it was a reflex, “Then you should kneel and praise me as one,”

Adrien couldn’t help but pull the biggest smirk of his life.

Kneeling down in front of her, he took her leg on his hands. He pressed a kiss on her heel, backed up and left a trail of kisses all over her skin, going up her leg until he reached her hip bone, where he sucked and nibbled.

Marinette giggled and hugged his head.

He let go of her skin with a loud pop and lifted his head to look at her.

“What a lucky man I am, to have a queen to myself,”

“I said I look like a queen, I’m not one yet,” She chuckled and caressed his cheek.

“Yes, you are,”

“Oh yeah, of what?” Her question came with a roll of her eyes.

“My heart,”

His smug smile pressed against her blushed cheeks.

She cupped the back of his neck and pulled him closer, guiding him to clasp her lips with his. Adrien opened his mouth and took her lower lip and sucked, carefully keeping his fangs away.

“Adrien,” Marinette bit his lip, stopping the kiss, “You’re king of mine,”

The soft flame that had been burning on his heart burned the green forest of his eyes, he could feel them change to red, he was thirsty but this time he did not need blood to feel satisfied.

Instead of being afraid of the sudden change, his girlfriend knew exactly how to act after seeing the red glowing spheres.

“I really like this turtleneck,” Marinette’s hands went up and down over his torso, “But it must be kind of warm, do you need help getting rid of it?”  
“If you offer,” With her help, he was out of the turtleneck and half unbuttoning his pants.

If he was getting undressed, he may as well do the same with her.

Adrien reached for the chain tying together the cape but Marinette stopped him, taking his wrist.

“No, bad kitty,” She lifted a finger and pretended to scold him.

“Good kitty,” He answered, he jolted his hand of her grasp and squeezed one of her breasts, making her pant. “Very good kitty,”

“No,” Marinette pouted and shook her head, “The crown and the cape stay, I’m in charge,” The challenge shone in her eyes and the girl started to work his magic on him. It was unbelievable how she didn’t need any charms or spells to have him eating from the palm of her hand.

Adrien bit his lip, keeping himself together and stopping himself to take her right there. She was a view and when she was teasing him the way she was doing, how could he resist?

Her hands were soft against his skin, and they were going down, down, down, resting on top of his pants. She looked at him and then pointed at the black trousers with her eyes, ordering him to take them off.

He pleased her immediately but as he was pushing his pants to the floor, his seductress had other plans. Her hand slipped under his underwear and started to palm him. A giggle came out of her mouth when he growled at her soft touch.

“Bad kitties get punished,” Marinette said in a breathy voice against his ear, licking the lobe. “Good kitties get rewards. So, what do you decide to be tonight, my love?”

He decided to give his princess a taste of her own medicine.

Adrien placed his hands on her bottom and pulled, so there will be no space left between their bodies. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kept roaming her hands and her mouth all over his skin. He lifted her from the bureau, took two steps to the left and pushed her against the wall.

It was rough, Adrien got scared for a second but Marinette’s pleased moan was enough to know that it was the right move.

Marinette nuzzled her nose against the curve of his neck and started giving little bites to his skin. Adrien let out a groan and ran his fingers against her ribcage, touching so softly that it would make her ache for more, shifting his hips against her but only letting the cloth of his underwear touch her was the final move to make her lose control.

Marinette got just as frustrated as he imagined she would. She pulled him closer and demanded with whines to get more attention, then she gave him a hard bite on his lips when he took his time to answer.

“I thought I was supposed to be the one that bit,”

“I thought vamps liked when their lovers bit them,” Marinette rose a brow.

“Uh,” How did she know that? “We do, but we also like to bite back, Nette,” It was a statement that hid a question, he hoped Marinette would catch it.

“No,” She whispered, looking at him through her eyelashes.

“Noted,” He kissed her neck, right above her throbbing pulse.

“It’s not definitive,” She cupped his cheek and lifted his head to her, “It’s more like a not yet,”

“It can be definitive, I don’t nee-” Marinette shut him with a kiss, drawing the curve of his lip with her tongue as she asked for permission to get in.  

Okay, he got it. Less talking, more action.

He moved the cloak away from Marinette’s shoulders, she had been very adamant about keeping it on, but he wanted to see and touch her so, it had to be moved.

Her body was flustered and ready for him.

Changing the position of his hands, Adrien wrapped her arms around her waist so her hold would tighten around him and it would be easy to walk with her.

“Adrien?” Marinette asked confused and a little sad.

He giggled and kissed her as he made his way to his bed. When he stumbled with the edge of it he placed her over the bed with care, and then crawled on top of her, peppering kisses all over her body and licking the places he learned she liked the most, making his way down to the warmest part of her body.

In return, he got what he had been wanting to hear again after that night in the hostel. His beautiful girlfriend whimpering his name as she pleaded for more.

Not sure if he could hold himself any longer he pushed his body up, putting all his weight on his flexed arms to not crash her.

His hand roamed from her center to her belly button, then went in a straight line to her lips, opening them with his fingers. She did as he asked and then sucked his index finger, making him lose his mind.

“Bloody hell, I love you,” He moaned against her ear as he licked just as she had done before.

Too lost in each other they didn’t hear the knock or the key opening the door.

“Adrien I was thinking that, oh hell fuck, I--”

Fidgeting, the prince took the cloak on his hands and covered Marinette with it and with his compelling he threw a pillow to Nino “Don’t you knock?!” The pillow hit the mid-closed door.

“I’m sorry! I’m gone!”

Adrien dropped his head on Marinette’s shoulder and grunted frustrated.

“I see we have similar friends,” Marinette laughed, pushing aside her embarrassment.  She grabbed his hair and pulled him up as careful as she could.

When he looked at her, red as a tomato she laughed even more. Cupping his cheeks, she pulled him into a kiss.

Adrien smiled on her lips, “Alya was funnier,”

“So, you say now,” She pulled an amused smile, “Can we continue?”

“As you wish, my queen,”

It was like Nino’s interruption had never happened. Once they shared a look the desire filled the room again and they were moving and touching each other as they had been doing it before. And Adrien was ready to take it to the next level.

He gripped her right leg and put it over his shoulder as he leaned towards her, positioning his body at just the right spot. Grazing her center just slightly, he pressed his hand on her lower tummy, restricting her moves.

He did not move, he stared at her face, licking his lips as the pulsing luscious energy ran through his body.

Marinette whimpered.

“Why do you like to keep me waiting?” Marinette jerked on the bed, pursing her lips and frowning at him.

“Because I love to see you all hot and bothered under me,”

“Bad, bad, bad, chaton,”

“That sounds like a challenge, my lady,” He licked his lips seductively, “I’ll show you how bad I can be,”

He settled between her legs and buried himself into her as hard as he could. As delicate as she looked, she was not up for soft touches now.  And now he was a hundred percent himself, his true form, he did not have to be careful, he could do everything he had dreamed to do with her, and Marinette was so easy to read that she would guide him and together they would turn each of his fantasies into reality.

Trying to tease her a little more he did not move, but his plans were frustrated by her, she shifted her hips and wrapped her arms around his shoulders to get a better angle and keep her moves going, undoing him and making him the one driven to madness.

But Adrien was not going to let her call all the shots. He started moving, following her rhythm and changing it a bit to surprise her.

The ravishing emotions came quickly and so did Marinette’s heaved breaths and shudders.

The atmosphere was filled with bliss and passion, the heat was incrementing at every brush of their lips, with every encounter of their bodies as their hands slicked on the other’s skin as if they were touching the silky sheets they were on top of.

Marinette’s back arched, pressing her breasts against his chest, he shoved his hips into hers needing to feel her even closer than she already was. He won a scream from her that was drenched in pleasure, making him turn on more than what he already was.

Without a warning Marinette wrapped her hands around his wrists, she pressed her heels against his lower back and swiftly switched their places, now she was on top.

She put his hands above her head and started moving again, shifting her hips at a slow but hard rhythm.

“How is that you always surprise me, princess?” He asked. His body was going to snap soon but for the moment he would look at her.

She should have been on top the whole time, and he was grateful she had obligated him to leave the cloak and the crown on. The cloak was messy and opening slowly and the crown was almost falling off her head now, but she looked so gorgeous, so hot, and her flustered cheeks and body, and the little moans coming from her barely open cherry lips only made the image more memorable. He was going to keep that memory forever, and he was going to remember to make a replica of his crown only for her to wear.

“Minou,” Marinette said between pants. Her nails dug on his shoulders and started to scratch him as she was unable to keep control over her body.

Watching her, he knew he was just as close.

His vision changed, everything turned more detailed and he knew his eyes were catlike again, no trouble about it, now his memories would be more precise and they would easily engrave on his mind.

Marinette changed her position, lying on top of him as he kept helping her move her hips against his. She pressed her forehead against his and moaned on top of his mouth. “I love you,”

“I love you more,” He answered, capturing her lips on his.

She had wanted to answer, he knew but it was at that moment when they came undone, together.

 

**xx**

Several minutes passed before one of them spoke. They stayed in silence, only listening to their shaky breathes and fast beating hearts.

Adrien touched Marinette’s back with his fingertips, he went up to the middle and then down again, following the line of her spine.

She rubbed her nose on the curve of his neck and splattered a few kisses on top of his chest.

That provoked a thundering sound out of his chest.

“Are you purring?” Marinette squeaked. Her eyes were opened in awe.

“Apparently,” He said confused, “Another side effect I guess,”

“It’s so cute,”

“Don’t look at me like that, I’m not a kid,” He said half joking, half telling the truth. She looked gorgeous and her sight was tender but after sex, he did not want his girlfriend to look at him as he was a baby.

“Oh, but you’re adorable,”

“I’m not, I’m sexy, I’m desirable, I’m not adorable,”

“Yes you are,” He frowned.

Marinette laughed. She obviously knew what she was doing.

“Okay, okay, you’re sexy, so masculine, I melt,” She put her hand on top of her forehead and sighed dramatically, “How can I resist such a seductive specimen?”

Adrien chuckled.

“So hot, so handsome, he has it all, blonde, hair, piercing green eyes, defined pectorals, and a tattoo,” She threw herself on his arms, “I’m defeated,”

“Now you’re making fun of me,”

Marinette laughed, “You make it so easy,”

Adrien shook his head, “Whatever, I’ll keep those words in my mind,”

“Hey, jokes aside,” Marinette passed one of her legs at the other side of his body, she sat on top of him and rested her arms and head on his chest. She made shapes on top of his pectoral with her finger. “What does your tattoo say? No, I mean, I can read I just don’t know how to pronounce it, I’ve never seen that word before,”

“ _Ihrkahmneratï,”_ He said, barely pronouncing the r. The sound was more like the mixture of “i” with an “a”, and the sound of the ending “i” was so closed that Marinette could barely understand it.

 _Kertáhn_ really was hard, the sounds were not what you were expecting, sometimes they were so hard, but others you could hear the softest sounds. It was nothing like _Ifyural,_ the vowels were pretty much the same the whole time.

“And it means?” Marinette laughed against his mouth before kissing him.

“It’s hard to translate,” He cleared his throat, “It sort of means, to keep your heart safe but fighting. It tries to tell that you need to take care of yourself and choose carefully who you let in but you can’t isolate yourself from people or doubt and deny love,”

“That’s beautiful,”

“It is,” He nodded, “My mom used to read me a story with that title, I think she wrote it because I haven’t been able to find it anywhere, but yeah,”

“So you tattooed it for her,” Marinette rubbed her thumb against his cheek,” That’s sweet,”

“Nah, I did it because it makes me look cool,” He grinned, making both of them laugh.

“It does not,” She said between chuckles.

“It doesn’t?” Was that real concern on his eyes?

“No,” Her stomach was starting to hurt because of her laugh, “It looks _hot,_ ”

Adrien opened his mouth and let out a big laugh. “Bloody saints, you’re worse than me, Marinette!”

He swapped their position, putting himself on top and he began his attack. He tickled her bare stomach and blew air against her neck, making her vibrate and laugh uncontrollably.

“Stop, stop,” She begged between laughs, “It’s not my fault! Your dorkiness is rubbing off on me,”

“I’m not dorky!”

“Yes, you are,” Another big chuckle, “No more, no more, my tummy hurts,”

“It’s barely been a minute, you’re lying,”

“I’m not, I’m not,” She said, her giggling dying down as he stopped. Tears were falling from her eyes and she was trying to go back to a steady breathing.

Adrien contemplated her with pure joy.

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask, where did you leave my belt?”  
“Must be in my closet,” He pointed out, “Why?”

“I need a few dry flowers to make a charm,”

“Now? Are you going to take revenge on me because of the tickles?”

“No,” She laughed, “I just need to take precautions,”

“Of what?”

“Uh,” She clenched her teeth, “Do you want kids?  
“Not yet,” He gulped,

“Me neither, so I need a charm,”

“You have a charm for that?” He asked, understanding what she meant.

She nodded, “Witches have used it for centuries,”

Already in front of the closet, Marinette opened and started looking for the leather belt. Good luck, it was hanging next to one of Adrien’s winter jackets.

She pulled it and called for the flask of flowers. The silver cylinder dropped to her hands, she rolled the tap open and poured two blue petals into her palm.

Marinette put the flowers on her mouth and stuck her tongue putting a pinch of sugar on top of it as she circled her finger over it to then swallow it.

It was a little bit disgusting but no as much as other charms.

She threw the belt to the desk and walked next to the bureau, taking the shirt off the floor and put it on without buttoning it.

“I don't’ remember you doing that the last time,” Adrien said. He was walking towards her as he pulled up his underwear.

“I forgot,” She said, “But this one will do,”  
“That comes handy, uh?”

“Incredibly,” He looked at her with a lovesick expression, making Marinette’s heart race.

There was no feeling that could compare to the one of feeling loved and wanted.

Standing on the points of her feet she brushed away pieces of his hair that were covering his eyes. It was still strange to look at him on his real form, she had grown used to seeing a cat and now she was staring at this handsome man with the voice he was so accustomed to.

It was strange, she did feel better because while being in love with a monster was not strange, it was still unusual, and it was so much better to stare at a gorgeous boy but as she did the only thought that crossed her mind was that she would have loved him either form.

Marinette leaned in for a kiss, a kiss that he did not respond to.

His attention was stolen by a mysterious force. His eyes turned into cat orbs one more time. His stare was so intense that he could have burned the door just by looking at it.

“Adrien?” Marinette moved his head with her fingers, searching for his eyes, “What’s wrong?”

“I smell my father,” He said, “He is coming to my room,”

“What?”

“You need to go. _Now_ ,”

“Hey, hey,” Marinette put her hands against his chest and stopped him before he could move, “I’ll just hide in the bathroom. He could come to see you, you have been affected by his plans and-” Adrien shook his head.

He ran his thumb against his fangs to cut his skin. The blood dripped quickly, he didn’t let it fall, he pressed it on Marinette’s face and draw a line on each of her cheeks, her forehead and the tip of her nose.

“Hide in the bathroom for now,” He left a peck on her lips, “He _never_ comes here, Nette. He must know. We don’t have time to take you out of here so as I distract him, you look for a way to escape,”

“Adrien,”

“You escape,” That had been an order by compelling, she could feel the illusion forming around her. “You leave me behind without having second thoughts,”  
“But,”

“No,” Adrien cut he squeezed her cheeks and closed the distance between their faces, “I’ll find you or you’ll find me but we do that later, once you’re safe. Promise?”  
“Promise,”

**xx**

Marinette could not leave.

Adrien had begged her to find a escape route as soon as he closed the door of the bathroom after painting more marks with his blood all over her, to increase his scent and protect her, but Marinette could not leave without knowing what the King wanted.

Five minutes had passed after his entrance and the conversation between him and his son was going fine. It was banal but there was something hidden on it, she could tell by the way Adrien was answering to his questions, his voice tone and the words he was choosing where unusual.

Things started to get heated when another person entered the room. Marinette could only imagine it was Sancoeur, which made her skin crawl.

“Did you have someone over, son?”

“I was with a donor,” Adrien answered.

“That’s not like you, Adrien,” The King’s voice changed, it was not judgement, it was different and more sketchy than that,  “The servants are gossiping about it. It’s strange for you to be with a donor and this would be, the fourth this week?”  
“I was out a long time,”

“Or you’re not telling the truth,”

Marinette gulped. She wrapped her hands around her throat, feeling a knot tie inside.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, father,”

“Don’t lie to my face,” He growled, “I found strange that you would be so adamant to get answers from the witch. You’re resourceful and witty, that’s how you get what you want, Adrien, and you use your compelling powers, but you’re not violent, you’ve never been. You’ve always been more like your mother,”  
“Violence was the only way that was going to give me answers,”  
“No, it was the only way you thought I would trust, you, but it didn’t work,” He sneered “You’ve betrayed me, son,” Marinette covered her mouth with her hands, she could not let out a sound, but she felt like screaming. He had discovered Adrien.  

“I’ll forgive but I won’t forget and I won’t let you get in between me and my plan,”

“Father, you’re not making any sense,” Those were Adrien’s last words.

A snapping sound cut through the air and a body dropped to the floor with a smash. “Nathalie,” _Sancoeur,_ “Take care of Adrien and then find the witch, knowing my son and his weak heart, she won’t be far and once you get her, we start the ceremony,”

Marinette’s heart burned. She had to go out of there, she couldn’t let that bitch touch Adrien.

Adrien’s compelling didn’t let her move.

“Yes, sir,”

She tried again but Adrien’s magic was powerful and she could not afford to use her magic with Sancoeur in the room.

As much as it hurt, she kept her promise to Adrien.

Marinette escaped.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smut is hard as fuck wth. but i really wanted to do that scene, it had been in my head for a while  
> and i can hear you all: camie they just got back together and you're separating them again?!  
> well what can i say the plot calls for it v( ‘.’ )v  
> we're only 5 chapters away from the ending, which basically means that things are going to get harder for me bc i need to tie up all the loose ends D:  
> also, my semester is ending which means i'll be on vacation soon (on the 30th) how many exams i'll have to take remains a mystery so i'll be extremely busy or i'll have enough time to write, who knows, not me. 
> 
> thank you all for the love  
> as always you can find me on tumblr: camielovelace (yeah i changed urls)  
> there i post how the writing is going, sometimes sneak peeks, and other's i just complain about how hard writing is lol  
> see ya next time!


	27. where did she go?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where did she go?: in this case, where's the witch? we need the witch -gabriel agreste.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my exams tried their best to kill me but i gave a good fight (or so i like to think)  
> chapter 27, here we go, only 4 chapters left :(  
> os: i made adrien 3 years older than marinette bc reasons and bc i can lol

 

Marinette’s feet hurt and most of her body was burning. Hours ago the fire around her had been given by pleasure, right now it was the cruel freezing weather that was doing tricks with her.

She was only wearing Adrien’s red silk shirt and her high knee shoulders, it was not the attire she should be wearing when the intense Kertáhn winter was approaching.

But she had to move and run so she could find an exit to finish her escaping route.

The witch had no idea where she was heading, she was focusing her magic on staying invisible and soundless, calling for a compass to guide her would be a stretch that could get her killed.

She was putting all her positive thoughts -because that was all she had right now- into finding one of Adrien’s friends before a knight or servant found her.

The Red Royal was one of the most beautiful palaces, it was a shame that she could not admire it. She had been chained and in pain when she entered, then she had been on Adrien’s room and now she was running so fast that every detail worth of attention turned into a blurry spot in the background.

On moments like this one, she wished she had high developed senses just like vampires did because without her magic she was useless. If she could only activate it and _sense_ the area but if she did Sancoeur would find her before she could ever call for a spell.  

Where could Chloé be?

She was one of the leaders of the rebellion, she would know a way to escape from the palace unnoticed, she could help her to get out of the palace and she could give her ideas to free Adrien. Chloé had been the one to come up with a plan to rescue Marinette from the cage she had been in. It was hard to admit, after all the suffering the witch went through, but Chloé’s plan had been smart and the safest path to take. The plan had fallen apart now, but for as long as it worked, it had been beneficial.

She had to find Chloé, whatever it took, she was her best choice.  

Stopping and pressing her body to the wall before taking a turn in the hallway she considered the possibility of turning invisible or go through the walls. It was the spells she had used to escape from the bathroom, but if Sancoeur was looking for her, it was unsure if those spells were still safe.

It was so frustrating to be powerless.

It had always bothered her to be forbidden of using her magic but she never had the need, the valley was safe, it was made for her to use the lowest level of energy and still survive making charms and spells for humans. She only realized it now, but it had never been enough.

Using the reflection of the hallway in a vase on a purple and gold table at the center of the hallway, she saw three men on knight attire walking towards her. They had not seen her yet, but if she stayed in that place, they sure would.

Walking in the direction she had come from, she remembered a little room with way too many types of furniture that she could use as her hiding spot.

Marinette had to dodge a piano, three more tables that were extremely small for hiding proposes, a room divider and a couch before she rolled under a table with a big and thick mantle in the corner of the room and sat immobile under it, hugging her legs and waiting for the knights to cross the room.

If she had Tikki with her it would be easier to listen to her surroundings and she would know exactly when to stop hiding.

She nibbled her lower lip, threatening tears were finding its way to her eyes and she couldn’t risk getting caught by that ridiculous show of weakness.

The initial adrenaline rush was fading away and her insecurity and fear where coming back, hitting her like lighting.

Her hands curled in fists and she pressed her arm against her mouth, muffling the sob that she was unable to stop.

She hated this, she hated how weak she was, hos insecure she could feel. No matter what she did, who she fought or the steps she took forward, she always came back to the same point.

Marinette rocked her body forward and hid her face, her forehead pressed on her legs.

She was pathetic, there was no other word to describe her. Most powerful witch in the world and that’s how she reacted to contingency. If she only remembered the exact path Adrien and she had made when he took her to the safe house if she wasn’t too afraid of using her magic or fighting.

Inside her mind and only mouthing the words, she repeated to herself over and over again that she had fought with Sancoeur, that she could be brave enough to combat the person who most frightened her in the whole soles of Earth, and if she could do that, she could do anything that she set her mind too. The fear did not leave, the facts did not erase the numbing of her limbs or the beating heart that threatened to pierce her chest and go through it.

Marinette cleaned her tears with the back of her hand. She inhaled deeply and followed it by a long exhale, she repeated the action four times, counting the seconds between taking the air and blowing it out, making sure she did the same time on both motions. She only stopped when a shift of energy caught her attention.

The witch looked around, looking for the odd flicking energy that approached her. She had felt it before, and it was calling for her. It was a completely opposite aura to her own that surrounded her before she could recognize it.

Once the little demon appeared right in front of her eyes, she realized why it had taken her so long to categorize it.

The black little devil smiled at her. She opened her mouth to talk but remembered that she had to stay quiet.

He put one hand up and floated nearer.

His tiny hand knocked her forehead three times, the bangs on top of her forehead blew away from her face thanks to an invisible wind. Marinette felt something changing inside of her, she couldn’t put her finger on what it had been but the energy radiating from both her and the demon had switched.

_“Now we won’t be heard,”_

Marinette’s heart gave a skip. She wasn’t aware that demons could do that, but this specific demon had been a mystery to her from the very beginning. She couldn’t feel him, she couldn’t take him out of Adrien without help and then discovered that it had stayed around her boyfriend, still being able to turn him into a cat.

 _“What are you doing here?”_ She asked, hoping her emotions would project on her words _“You should be with Adrien,”_

_“I’ll go to him later, I got business with you first,”_

_“What would that be?”_ Marinette swung her head and pouted her lips.

_“I can take you somewhere safe. I can guide you to the rebellion,”_

_“You, you know how to get there?”_

_“I’ve been there with Adrien, so yes, I know,”_ He nodded and circled the air before continuing _“And I can guide you there,”_

 _“You would do that?”_ Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. It wasn’t that she did not trust him, but he had not been this reliable before. At least not with her.

_“I’m bonded to your lover, it’s the least I can do,”_

_“That’s thoughtful of you,”_

_“He’ll give me cheese, we both win here,”_

Marinette muffled the sound of her giggle with the sleeve of her shirt.

_“We don’t have much time, are you going to follow me or not?”_

_“Yes, yes I will,”_ She nodded.

**xx**

Plagg’s first step was, of course, to get out of under the table. With their telepathic connection still going, he knew where she could stop hiding and get out. After that, it was a little more of the same. Plagg would go a few meters before her and would inform her if she had to keep walking or retreat.

The demon had rounded the whole palace days before, and by following Adrien, who sneakily moved around the whole royal building in his attempt to avoid as many senators, ministers and nobility as he could, Plagg knew exactly where they shouldn’t turn and what rooms to stay away from.

Marinette was still scared but felt a bit more confident with the demon on her side. She wasn’t alone anymore and he had assured her an escape.

But when they found a pair of wary-looking stairs and he told her to follow, she started to doubt her safety again.

_“Chill out, little lady, this is just another way to the catacombs.”_

_“Adrien did not use this route when we visited. I remember that much,”_

_“So little trust, I may as well just leave you here,”_

_“No, please don’t”_

After that little discussion, Marinette kept her thoughts to herself and followed him blindly.

Hopefully, it didn’t take long until they arrived at the Red Spiral Forest and she started running, dodging red branches and jumping so she wouldn’t hurt her feet more than they already were. Her high knee socks had cuts all over her sole and were not protecting her skin anymore, she was going to have some awful scratches after this.

When they arrived at the trees that hid the safe house, Plagg stood close to her and knocked her forehead just like he had done under the table, but this time he cut the connection.

“We’re here, you can thank me later,” He said, giving a sarcastic little bow.

“How do I get inside?” Last time, Adrien had jumped with her on his arms.

“That’s for you to figure it out,” The demon shrugged, “There’s not much I can do about that. I’ve done what I can,”

“And I’m really grateful,” Marinette smiled. “You are not staying with me?”

“As much as I don’t like it, I have a master now,” He said, his voice went a little rougher, “It comes with tons of benefits but it’s a nuisance too. I need to rescue him.”  

“Adrien’s powerful, I’m sure he is out of trouble already, you’ll just need to support him,” Or so she hoped.

Walking through the forest, with the palace disappearing behind them she couldn’t tell if she was going back soon, maybe the opposition would have different plans for her and for Adrien.

They would want to take their Prince back, they needed him so they had to save him, but they weren’t impulsive, if they were Adrien wouldn’t have had to shut down his emotions and pretend he was on his father’s side, they would have just attacked. His boyfriend could face the same destiny than she did.

Because of that, she had to think he was okay, that his power was going to get him out of, that he would not need her to break out.  

He had more on his side that she had had. The King was merciless with her but she had seen love sparkle in his eyes when he hugged Adrien. He would not hurt his son.

He was probably keeping him locked or still unconscious so Adrien wouldn’t meddle on his plan. Whatever the situation he was in, she knew he could get away from it.

“Not as powerful as Sancoeur,”

Marinette gulped. That was a thought she had been trying to reprime.

“He can flip it around. Sancoeur serves the crown, a piece of her loyalty lies with him too,”

“Her loyalty lies with the King, the King and no one else,”

“Adrien’s compelling powers are the strongest I’ve seen,” He had to get out. He had to be stronger.

“But he is not an original like Sancoeur is,”

“ _An original?_ ”

“First witch generation, but you probably won’t know, you’re just a piece on their chess game,” He smiled, “The queen is the most powerful piece on the board, yet it’s only there to protect the king,”

“What do you mean?”

“The Witch Court is the king, the rest is for you to figure it out. A demon has to be careful or deities will come to haunt him,”

“Is this your way to tell me that Adrien won’t set himself free?” A shiver went down her spine at the thought.

“Not alone, that’s why I’m going. I did not give up my freedom to get my master killed,” Plagg sat on Marinette’s shoulder and sighed. “But that’s not exactly what I was trying to say. When all the pieces click in that brain of yours, be sure to let me know,”

“Wouldn’t it be simpler to explain it to me?”  
“As a good demon I fear the deities, Miss Creation,” He said, “Once you get your training done I’ll reconsider who I respect, and intimidates me, more,”

He flew away leaving her with questions that had never popped inside her mind, there was a revelation on his words and they had opened a door that had remained invisible to her. Seeing it now, it felt like it had always been there, however she couldn’t connect the dots, it was all smoke and untied knots.

His voice came with the breeze of the night, he had turned around to look at her one last time. “Oh, you’re also more powerful than you think, and I’m not talking about your magic,” He sneered and then he faded with the black of the night, vanishing.

Marinette gripped the sleeves of the shirt and played with the little button as she stared in the distance, waiting for the demon to turn back and explain what he meant, but he never did.

Thankfully, he was not gone without a reason, he was going back to the palace and help Adrien, and that would have to be enough for her now. There would be another time where she would be able to ask all the questions that were piling on her mind, but right now Adrien’s safety was the priority.

She fell on the ground, sitting on a heap of fallen leaves and rested against the carmine tree trunk while thinking a way to get inside the safe house. If Marinette was a vampire she would just jump, if she could use her powers floating was the first option, but nothing came to mind when she thought of her actual state.

 _“Marinette?”_ The high pitched voice calling her name made her turn to the left.

Chloé was standing only a few meters away from her. She was wearing a long-sleeved pastel yellow dress that made her pop between all that black and red, but as bold as her fashion selection was, and in another case, it would have been impossible to look away, Marinette focused on her expression. Chloé’s eyes were wide open like the full moon, and her mouth was quivering.

“Hi,” She gave a little wave as she stood up, walking towards her.

 _“Oh no,”_ Chloé said, “What happened?”  
“The King knows.”

And just like that, hell broke loose.

**xx**

The flutter of a moth’s wings ringed on his left ear.

A thousand needles poked the back of his neck and the pain spread to his nape. Before opening his eyes he paid attention to all the other senses, so he could get a picture of what to expect.

Adrien was sitting on a comfortable chair, too big for his body, so he could only imagine he was sitting on the throne.

Unsurprisingly, he had handcuffs wrapped on his wrists, they were patted so he did not feel the metal hurting his skin, but he could feel the verbena damped on the velvet cushion around them. His ankles were facing the same luck.

Adrien could hear the beating hearts of two people that sat at the left corner of the room, and he could smell them too.

He finally opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of the throne room. The windows and doors were closed, and his father and Nathalie leaning against the wall, right under the portrait of the first King of Kertáh.

“Can we get this over quickly, father?” Adrien said, his voice hoarse.

His father did not have the best senses but it was impossible that he had noticed that he was awake.

Gabriel pushed his body forwards and walked to the middle of the room, circling Adrien before standing right in front of him. He dropped his sight at looked at his son from head to toe.

“Anything, Nathalie?”

“I guess you’ll ignore me,” Adrien pursed his lips and nodded. “Typical of you.”

“Nothing, sir,” Nathalie answered but Adrien could barely hear her because his father started talking to him.

“We can do it quickly, Adrien, but that’s on you. Are you going to tell me what I want to know?”

“What is that you want to know, father?” He said in a sing-song voice.

“Two weeks must have been enough for the witch to trick him too,” Gabriel said to Nathalie.

“He is not under a spell, sir,” Nathalie answered, her voice broke at the end.

Adrien narrowed his eyes and inspected his father. He did look as if he was living a nightmare.

“Please, son,” He desperately begged, “Tell me where’s the witch. We’ll put this all behind, I’ll forget it all, just tell me where she is.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, father. I would not know where she is, you told me to stay away from the dungeons, and so I did. ” He kept the smile the whole time. It wasn’t about convincing him that he was telling the truth, it was all about letting him know that, yes, he _was_ lying _but_ he was not going to say a word about Marinette no matter how much he tried.

 _“I’m your father,_ ”

“I’m your son,” He shrugged. “That’s why I did what I was told. I’ll do anything you say, as you say it, I will never go against you. All your plans, all your ideas are perfect, father. Just like I am.”

“This attitude is unlike you,” Gabriel said. His shoulders dropped and he winced.

“And how would you know?” Adrien tilted his head.

He wanted to provoke him, he wanted to make him fall into despair and if he was self-aware of his own behavior then those words would do the trick.

Gabriel was never around, he could say he loved him, he could say he cared all he wanted, but his actions reflected a different man and a different relationship between them.

“Nathalie, check again. He _must_ be under a spell.” He hissed.

Adrien took a gasp of air and let it out, his nostrils flared and he death glared his father.

“Why don't you just accept it?!” Adrien asked. “Why can’t you see that you’re such a horrible person that even your own son would turn against you?”

“Adrien!”

“I was going to play and make this fun for me, but I’m done. I’m tired of you thinking you’re a deity and the decisions and consequences that come from it. You’re the King of a nation, and you’re taking it to the ground. And you’re not only a terrible king, but you’re also a terrible father. I would let it pass if you were gone and treated me like a toy or a trophy if that meant you’re taking care of the citizens and our lands, but you do not. You’re behind a delusion that probably won’t come true, and you have made miserable the life of an innocent girl because of your selfishness,”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gabriel growled. He leaned forward and took Adrien by the lapels of his unbuttoned shirt, “I explained it to you! We can bring our mother back! I thought you wanted that too, son. I’m doing this for us!”

“Mom is gone! She decided to become mortal and she had what it was coming, that was her decision, and if she wanted to be able to die maybe bringing her back is not the smartest choice. This is not about her, nor about me, this, like everything else, is about _you._ ”

“ _Adrien!_ ” He shook him and Adrien couldn’t help but smile.

“And you want to know something else, father? Nathalie can’t sense any spell because there’s none. I just fell in love.”

Gabriel’s irises turned red and his pupil dilated as his eyes widened and faded into black. He started to pan frantically and he held one hand up, ready to slap Adrien.

But his hand stopped before hitting his son’s cheek.  

He spun, his cape flowed with the hard motion and Gabriel left the room, giving his back to Adrien, without looking back once.

“I guess is only you and me know, Nathalie,” _And soon it’ll be only me._

“Can’t you see what you’ve done? Can’t you see your father is suffering?” Nathalie asked, finally approaching him. “You decided to betray your family for a woman you met three weeks ago,”

“You betrayed your kind for a man that will _never_ love you,” Adrien said in the same tone, full of fake innocence and sadness “I’m staying true to my values and to my heart, and that just assures me that I’m going to win,”

“You’re not as powerful as you like to think,”

“Oh, I am, but I’m not the one you should be afraid of,” Adrien looked at her through his lashes, “No, you know, I’m saying it all wrong. Be afraid of me but be terrified of my girlfriend, she’ll chew you up and spit you faster than you can even imagine,”  
“The same girlfriend who's blood I’ve drained twice now? Wow, I’m shaking,”

“I can’t tell if you’re actually scared or making fun of me since you aren’t able to show any emotion, so I’ll take it as a win.”

Nathalie actually laughed this time.

“Marinette has the potential, but she lacks autonomy, and has been coerced by The Court for many many years. She can try all she wants, but I know and I’m sure she knows, that she still is that little girl who was screaming for her life. Fear is Marinette’s emblem, you can love her all you want, you won’t change that.”

Adrien’s teeth chirped and he jerked on his seat, jolting his hand to set free and break Nathalie’s neck.

He hated that the slayer was right. The only thing that kept her from being a thunderstorm of power was fear, that was true, but the fear would not disable her if it wasn’t for his father and Nathalie.

This was all their fault and she was rejoicing on the little fact.

“She came here looking for me, she fought you and she resisted on the cells. You’re underestimating her.” Adrien said because that was also true. Marinette could put the fear behind her. She could be terrified but she would do what was right, what she believed in. She could protect herself and others.

“She can fool you, but she knows the truth. She can pretend to be brave but at the end, she’ll mess up. She always does and we’ve found her every time. It won’t be different now.”

“For eight years you did not,” Adrien reminded her. “Nette was hidden and you would not have her if it wasn’t for my mistake.”

“Who says I did not know where she was? Maybe I was just waiting,” Nathalie smirked. “I never, ever, lose, Adrien. You should know that by now.”

A cold breeze brushed against his nape, he heard a snap and a tingle appeared on his feet, spreading up his legs and to the rest of his body, immobilizing every single muscle of his body.

“The spell will vanish soon and I’ll be back, but hopefully it teaches you a few things about loyalty,” Nathalie said and fixed the buttons of his shirt. “Is still not too late to choose the right side, I’m sure your father will welcome you. He loves you,”

Maybe he did, but his kind of love did not mean anything to him anymore.

Also, he knew Nathalie was wrong. She did not always win, and he was going to prove it.

**xx**

A young girl with chestnut skin and gold eyes was helping her tie the back of her dress. It was one of the dresses that Chloé kept on the safe house that she lend it to Marinette so she wouldn’t walk around in a shirt and torn socks.

The dress was white and lacey but its shape -loose sleeves, knee length, and flowy skirt- was functional enough for Marinette to run and jump if it necessary.

“It’s done, your Highness,” The girl said. She let the ribbons of the corset-inspired back fall and took her distance from Marinette.

“Thank you so much for helping me, Manon,” Marinette smiled “And please just call me Marinette, I don’t really use that title.”

“Really? Max said we should be respectful because you’re a princess,”

“Only in name, but really Marinette is fine, or Mari or Nette, those work too. Whatever you want is fine.”

“Nette sounds cool,” Manon shuffled her legs and spread her arms open, jiggling her hands.

“It does, right?” Marinette giggled. “My boyfriend likes nicknames a lot, he came out with it. No one had called me Nette before, which is weird, because is right there.”

“Prince Adrien?” Manon wiggled her brows.

Marinette chuckled at the girl, “Yes, Prince Adrien.”

“You’re really lucky. All my friends at school want to marry him”

“Not you?” Marinette smiled amusedly.

“I’m only fifteen, I don’t want to marry someone nine years older than me, no thanks.”

Marinette frowned and did the math.

She had never bothered to ask Adrien how old he was, she asumed they were the same age.

Now it made more sense that the rebellion wanted Adrien as king. Not was he part of the royal family, but he was a year away of turning twenty-five, the usual age the heir accepted the throne.

King Gabriel and his wife had had Adrien quite young, for all the studying she had done with The Witch Court, she knew that it was an odd behavior for vampires. Kings only gave up their throne to their sons after being for a while on it. A hundred and fifty years was the shortest reigning period she could remember, and King Gabriel had been crown sixty two years ago. People were expecting Adrien to take over.

“Why are you smiling so widely?”

“I just realized that things are not so bad and scary as I thought they would be,”

“You sure are strange. The whole rebellion is freaking out because your boyfriend has been captured and we lack the element of surprise and you’re happy.”

“Yeah, I’m quite strange,” Marinette chuckled. “Can you take me to the leaders? I have a plan that I would like to share with them.”

Manon nodded.

She pointed at the door with her head and opened it.

From the bottom of the bed, Marinette took Adrien’s redshirt and put it on, rolling up the sleeves. She tied the only flat shoes that she found on Chloé’s closet and then she was ready to go.

She followed Manon outside the room. They had been on Chloé’s bedroom, a small but cozy place with too many books and papers lying around that managed to look pretty with all the pastel colors flowing around it. Outside was quite different.

The hallways were dark and the weapons and pin boards hanging from it were shaking, a consequence of the uproar that was going on in the facilities. Members of the opposition that she had never seen before were pacing from one point to another, some of them were running, others were carrying new weapons, others were just crying. They all looked very young, but till now Manon was the youngest member she had seen.

The tension was building upon the house, the screams were turning louder as the seconds passed and there were bangs on the walls. The fear was pulsing on the hallways and all the insecurity and doubt managed to rush to the heart of the safehouse. The place where Manon was guiding her.

The room of conferences was packed, the leaders of the different sectors were standing around a circular wood table. She recognized Chloé and Alix.

Around them, more people, known and unknown, were screaming and expressing their opinions. Ideas and papers flew in the room swirling in chaos.

They were trying to come up with a plan to take Adrien out and attack the King at the same time. No one was giving winning solutions.

Marinette sighed and rubbed her temples.

She tried to explain Chloé that Adrien would be fine, that he would break free and that they should not worry until it was obvious that he was not out. Chloé refused to listen, dragged her to the safehouse and threw her on the room before disappearing. She never imagined things would snap this way. 

"Hey," She called for their attention but they were louder and they were too caught up on their opinions and fears. 

"Excuse me!" She tried louder this time. 

Adrien's name and the different solutions popping up of different mouths roared in the room. If she wanted to get their attention, she could have to scream much louder than them. Marinette was not used to it, she had lived alone for eight years, in a valley so quiet that her default voice tone could have been labeled as whispering by some. But she had to.

Filling her lungs with all the air she could, she closed her eyes, curled her fists and shouted. 

“Everybody quiet!”

Her voice echoed in the room and it fell silent. Every member inside had shut their mouth and turned to look at her. 

Different colored eyes and wonder glanced at her. 

“Adrien needs no rescue,” She said, going back to her habitual ring. 

“What?” The question echoed on different parts of the room. They did not like the idea, just as she expected. 

“Adrien, Prince Adrien, will be fine, he’ll escape soon,” She assured, “If not, I’ll rescue him myself but I’m sure he will find a way out, he is resourceful.” She could not tell them the truth or she would expose Adrien’s secret.  

“The King will have him chained and guarded. Verbena is not discarded,” A tall and skinny blonde girl, standing next to Chloé spoke to her, “I’m sorry, your Highness, but we can’t leave our future King there. King Gabriel would do anything to get what he wants, we can assure Prince Adrien is safe.”

“He will be, I know him. He is… like, like a cat,” She nodded.

Marinette could not spill Adrien’s secret to everyone but Chloé _did_ know he could turn into a cat, and maybe her subtle remind would make the rebel leader change her mind.

Chloé’s eyes popped open and lifted her sight to find hers.

“The Princess is right,” Alix said, hitting the table with her fist, “When we captured him we had a rope with verbena and he easily escaped from it.”

“Yeah!” Marinette jumped and pointed at Alix. “I don’t think we should go rescue Adrien. They’ll be expecting it, at least they’ll be expecting _me_ to rescue him.”

“That’s true,” The last leader, a brown woman with muscular body and challenge on her eyes pointed a finger at her. “How much did you say the King knows, your Highness?”

“I don’t know how much he knows, only that he figured it out Adrien was with me. As egocentric as he is, I doubt he is aware of this rebel group.” Marinette wiggled her hands around as she referred to them.

“ _Der Hakÿer_ ,” The woman said.

“Uh?” Marinette titled her head.

“We came up with a name!” The redhead boy shouted from across the room, “ _Der Hankÿer_ , as Nora said,”

“It means ‘the change’ in old Kertáhn,” Max added.

“Oh, that’s very nice,” Marinette smiled and repeated on her head the words multiple times, so she would not forget the right pronunciation. “Well, continuing, I don’t think the King knows about _Der Hankÿer._ That still gives you power over him.”

“So what do you suggest? We let Prince Adrien rot in a cell until we can attack.”

“No,” Marinette shook her head, “We let Adrien escape as we infiltrate on the palace.”  
“Bloody saints, you’re just as impulsive as Adrien,” Chloé grunted.

“Not as much,” Marinette said. “If Adrien escapes they will be looking for him and they’re already looking for me, they’ll have a big part of their army busy. For what Adrien told me, Nino is in charge of the army, we should take that on our advantage.”

“How?” Chloé asked. She was firm with her tone but she did not refuse to the idea, which was good.

“He can give them a fake sight and send them to look for Adrien or me outside the palace, leaving it unprotected and giving us easy access. Now if we enter before Adrien has escaped, and they see me in one of the groups they’ll think I’m going to rescue him and we can use that as a distraction, and we could take them down and then--

“They’re trained knights, the best of the nation. They won’t be easily knocked out.” Nora said.

“She could take them down,” Manon said behind her, “Nette is the most powerful person of the world, right?”

Whispers of agreement surrounded the room.

Manon was not wrong, her statement was a fact but she lacked information. Marinette was potentially the most powerful person but she was not trained, she had never reached her peak.

She was confident in her magic, with Tikki and Max’s Igigi she could keep her self afloat and not get high and kill herself and anyone around but there was still an obstacle on her journey. If she used magic, Sancoeur was going to find her.

Expectant eyes were focusing on her, waiting for encouraging words to come out of her mouth. She could easily lie and give them what they want, but all their lives, their nation, and Adrien were at stake. She could not lie.

“I trust my powers to take down any knight we could encounter, I trust them to fight the King. I’m not afraid of him,  because the King can’t take me down, he knows it, and that’s why he always send someone else to do the job. He’ll use Sancoeur to protect himself, and I am _terrified_ of her. She can track my magic, she’ll find me immediately and when she does, I’ll become useless for all of you.”

“You have fought her,” Kagami said. She came out of the shadows and stood next to Chloé, wrapping her arm around her shoulders.

“And I lost,” Marinette said, the fatidical night played in flashes on the back of her eyes “I was afraid, shivering, crying, I’m surprised of what force took over me and put me through it. She is the face of all my nightmares.”

“Whatever force it was, it is in you, and you can call it again and fight her if it is needed.” Kagami said, “Chloé and I went against you when you were possessed by your magic and you put on a good fight. Then that time on Adrien’s room, you were able to stop us. You’re powerful when you stop overthinking. You’re smart too, you’re just insecure, and that’s not your fault but you need to step up of that safe zone you are, that’s when your potential turns into skills.”

“But if I fail… I don’t want you to rely on me and then disappoint you,”

“You won’t,” Chloé clicked her tongue. She wrapped her index finger on a piece of blonde hair and played with it as she talked. “We’ll be there for you, it won’t be a one on one fight, we’ll give you support so if Sancoeur comes and attacks, you can depend on us. I’m not afraid of Nathalie, I’ve stopped myself of throwing a fork in her eyes multiple times, so, don’t worry, we’ll be there for you.”

Marinette’s lips trembled and a sob escaped from them. Her eyes were blurring as tears accumulated in them.

“Thank you,” Her voice broke and a sob came just after it.

“Yeah, yeah,” Chloé waved her hand at her, dismissing the sweet words. “Now, tell us how to do this.”

“Yes, princess, how do we do this?” Alix asked, punching Chloé’s arm.

“Well,” Marinette cleaned the tears on her cheeks, “It’s not an elaborated plan, and because of it, I think it’ll work perfectly.”

**xx**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter than the lasts but if i add another scene it did not feel right.  
> we're so close to the end it's scary, and it gets harder to write because you want to wrap up everything nicely.  
> so if you don't know, i'm turning this into an original story, so there are certain ideas and stuff that won't be "closed" at the end of this fic. i do plan on publishing more stuff about them, bc i love them sm, but yeah, a warning because i've been writing ideas for a sequel but i doubt i'll post it ALL here. 
> 
> also, sorry if i haven't answered your comments, i had limited time and i focused on writing the chapters first, i still read them and loved them, thank uuu
> 
> i'm on vacation now, and i'm sort of taking a break of pressure and all that, however, i do hope to have the time to publish all the chapters that are left quite soon.  
> all the love, camie!
> 
> find me on tumblr: buginettez


	28. candlelight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the ending is close, but battles are not always the worse.  
> the doubts of the aftermath could eat you alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ughh this took me years, stupid endings that make everything so hard.

Marinette held a book on her hands and read carefully as she repeated the words out loud. The Kertáhn rolled out of her tongue with hardship, but she was trying her very best to get the words right.

In the middle of her speech, when she began to explain the plan she realized not every person in the room was getting it. It wasn’t a hard plan, it grounded on instinct and had at most five steps, so it could be nothing else than the language barrier.

Adrien spoke wonderful Tern, so did his friends and the leaders of  _Der Hankÿer_ but most citizens of Kertáh only spoke their native language. She tried to change it in the middle of the instructions but her lack of good pronunciation did not help at the end. Chloé ordered her to proceed in Tern and acted as her translator.

She felt ashamed and useless, she had studied the language, she should be good at it, maybe not fluent since it was the language she least practiced and before Adrien came into her life, the last time she had heard it had been when she was fourteen. Now, she was leading a whole army of people from Kertáh, she would have to speak their language.

Marinette groaned when she heard clapping. Manon was helping her, she gave a clap every time she messed up a word.

“I don’t understand how you guys pronounce the letter R, it changes all the time,”

“It only changes when it has an H before,”

“I promise you it changes more than those times,” Marinette sighed.

“You know no one is asking you to do this like we’re all fine with you only speaking. Also, you won’t see a good part of them ever again,”

“I want to be respectful,”

“And that’s enough,” Manon said, closing the book on her hands, “We like you, Nette, we won’t bite you just because you don’t have an excellent pronunciation,”

The joke didn’t settle well on Marinette. She was open to the possibility of Adrien biting her, at some point in the future, because she trusted him because she knew he would not drink her blood to feed his addiction, but thinking of any other vampire taking her blood made her blood run cold.

However, after meeting so many in such a short span of time, her view of the whole race was starting to change.

Because Marinette was starting to realize that her fear, while rightfully based, did not only came from her horrible experiences, the view she had of the vampires had also been worked and twisted by the witches in the Court and every other adult in charge of her. Not every vampire was disposed to do anything, even killing for blood, they could contain themselves, as hard as it was, and Adrien was the proof of that. He had been aggressive but he had resisted the urge of drinking the blood of the people in that room and had come up with an escape plan.

Her first encounter with Kagami and Nino was just a blurry memory now, and after knowing them she could not label the pair as monsters. Vampires had a condition, a curse, that obligated them to search for blood but they weren’t monsters.

From fear to discomfort, that’s how her view of the vampire behavior had changed, and for her, that was a big step.

So, as late as it was to laugh of Manon’s joke, she did it anyway.

After one odd look from Manon, they kept what they were doing, this time at a slower pace.

Three knocks on the door cut them from their practice and when the door opened, Kagami entered the room while playing with a light pink fabric band.

Manon stood up from her seat and gave a little bow at her, Kagami gave a knowledge nod at her.

“Marinette,” Kagami called, “A few groups are already on their way to the palace and its surroundings. Is time for us to move too,”

“Okay,” Marinette nodded, “But I need a fireplace or phosphor to make some fire first,”

“Follow me,”

“Thank you for everything, Manon,” Marinette said, catching her in a hug.

Manon hugged her back but let go quickly, pulling a smile and an attitude similar to Chloé’s, brushing her away with simple words, pretending that she had not acquired any bond with her when Marinette knew they had, even if they only spent a few hours together. It made her think how close Chloé actually was to all these people, and how that was bothering Kagami right now, who did not know of Chloé’s involvement on the revolution until Marinette appeared in their lives.

Nonetheless, she kept her thoughts to herself and followed Kagami out of the room and into the labyrinth that the safe house was.

Before the meeting, the hallways had been crowded, and now it seemed like the place had been inhabited for years, and that was incredibly hard to say because the house was enormous.

Adrien said that around 700 people were in with the revolution, mostly young people had joined as active members of Der Hankÿer but for what Chloé filled her in, they had older people sponsoring them and supporting them in the ways they could. That was still a little portion of the whole population of Kertáh. As loved Adrien could be, or already was, they would still have to convince people that Gabriel was a horrible king. The plan could work fantastically, they could capture the King and make their way to the next step, but Marinette was starting to realize that what they were about to do was the easy part.

If they got rid of Gabriel, and miraculously also of Sancoeur, not only Kertáh would be free but also Marinette. She would have to return to Ifyuru and resume her training and of course, how could she forget, take her place as Queen.

A knot formed on the back of her throat, she did not have a good feeling about the aftermath. The situation would be hard for Adrien, but for her, it could turn unbearable, she had spent years focusing her fear on Kertáh, but a secret fear of hers had always been the Court, there was something sketchy about them, and the more she spent here in Kertáh the more she saw it.

She had lied to Kagami before, using spells with low levels of magic still made her an easy target, and if Sancoeur was so powerful as she let her believe, she could have found her the moment she used a spell to get out of the bathroom. And, as she had been drained of her blood, Sancoeur had said that Marinette was finally ready, as if she had been waiting for her to grow more powerful, when actually her powers stood still, with no more training or permit to use her magic at higher levels, she had poor control over her own powers, so why was she so sure that this was the moment to use Marinette?

And what Plagg had said just added more confusion to the mix. An Original? What was that and why did she feel like Sancoeur knew more about her that she actually let the King know?

“Marinette,” Kagami pulled the sleeve of her dress and moved Marinette out of the way, “Stop daydreaming,”

“I’m sorry,” She said, seeing in front of her and to her left, noticing the shelf she almost hit. “Thank you,”

“No problem,” Kagami shrugged. She shifted to Marinette’s left side and entered a room with an open door.

The room had two old ripped velvet couches and cushions all over the floor, and in the back of the room, in the middle of the wall, a fireplace was on, painting the dark room in calm orange and yellow tones.

“This is perfect,” Marinette clapped with joy and Kagami faked a cough to hide her laugh.

The girls walked to the fire and kneeled in front of it. There was no firewood but a dozen of short and thick candles on it, only a few were on and the flames were low and dying down, but it was the perfect state to cast a spell.

“Kagami,” Marinette said. The girl rose her brows, encouraging her to proceed, “Can you lend me your dagger?”

Pressing the blade against her skin, she wrapped it tightly, the pulsing pain lasted a second, she let go and the red stained her skin. She brushed the edge of the blade on top of the wound a few more times before putting the soaked dagger on top of the flames.

Marinette inhaled sharply when she put her wounded hand on top of the dancing fire, pouring more of her blood on it. She focused on Alya’s face and in the friendship bond they shared, with every possible memory that could help her track her and call for her, she let go of her magic.

The fire died down in only ways magic flames would, changing into viscous red and orange drops, with hints of magic sprinkled around. Marinette twirled her fingers and moved all the drops into a big one and then she threw another flame into it that did not live more than a second before transforming into fume.

The soft atmosphere the candlelight had given was gone, and now the room showed its true coldness to the girls.

Marinette snapped her fingers a spark jumped out of it and floated to the roof, growing in size and glowing the same color of the moonlight.

“That would do,” Marinette said. She stood up and brushed the dust out of the skirt of her dress.

“Were those spells?” Kagami asked, her voice shook with fear at the end. Marinette was surprised, the emotion seemed to be a stranger to the warrior.

“Sort of,” Marinette nodded.

“Why didn’t you ask the hybrid boy to do it?” Kagami said, irritation showing on her eyes, “You could be found, and by consequence, all of us,”

“I doubt is strong enough to get noticed by Sancoeur, actually I’m almost certain that she won’t sense it. And even if she does, there’s no other way to contact Alya and we need her or part of the plan falls apart. She left a magic leave with us but we were surprised by the King and I forgot about it, this was the only option” Marinette spoke fastly, hoping Kagami wouldn’t notice the lie.

“Right, we need Alya to warn Nino and spy on Adrien,”

“Exactly,”

“You know, Nathalie is powerful, bitchy and well, bloodthirsty -just not in _our_ sense, which I assume, is kind of worse- I’m sure you don’t have the best memories with her but… She has never hurt me so this might mean nothing to you,”

“Continue, don’t worry,”  
“She is nothing without that feather brooch she uses,” Kagami said and touched the center of her collarbones, “It’s under her capes and I’m quite sure that’s what grants her so much power,”

“A brooch?” Marinette tilted her head. “It could be where her familiar was before, but she is a dark witch, she could not have one,”

“What’s the difference between a dark witch and a light, white, no, eh, whatever you are? We are taught about witches but not that in depth,”

“Dark witches are not under the oath, they never take it or they break it, that means they don’t take their powers from creation… from me I guess, they take it from the opposing force and that’s what makes their magic so dangerous. It works differently to our magic and their power doesn't’ come from the moon itself anymore, but purely of the reflections of it, making it unstable too,”

“Sancoeur is not unstable,”  
“She is not,” Marinette agreed, “That makes me fear her more, it doesn’t make any sense,” And Plagg’s words made it even more strange.

“Well, neither Chloé or I fear her, we’ve known her since we were little and she despises us, we are quite annoying, but she can’t kill us, She wants to stay under Gabriel’s grace and killing the heir of two of his Royal Houses would take that away. I can’t promise you anything but I’ll say you’re safer with us by your side,”

“Thank you,”

Kagami had an intensity in her eyes that could not compare to anyone, her strongest traits glimmered on her eyes, her determination and her passion. It was no surprise Chloé was in love with her. And after her speech and her attitude, Marinette reaffirmed that their first encounter was nothing but fake impressions. Under that intense and strong look, there was a sweet girl with a kind heart.

The smell of something burning caught both of their attention and looked in front of them, where it came from. The dagger’s handle, made of decorated silver with sparkles of mermaid’s tear in red and white faded into warmer colors and the blade was fluorescent orange.

The weapon shook on its place, at the beginning it was little quivers but then it started to jump on its place.

Kagami reached for it and was stopped by Marinette with a spell. The vampire was about to protest but the witch pointed at a point in the air that was starting to spark with an unknown light.

The dimension ripped, a clean cut in the middle of the air, so bright that if they kept looking at it it would have blinded them. Once it closed, Alya appeared.

“Marinette!” Alya jumped on her arms and they both fell to the ground, “I was so worried about you! I came back to the room and you were gone, so was Adrien! Nino had no idea where you two were either,”

“We had a problem,” Marinette said, “Long story short, the King knows about Adrien and me, he captured him and he is looking for me.”

“Oh no,” Alya gasped and held Marinette closer.

“Adrien is with Plagg, his familiar. You need to find them,” Marinette said, “I’m sure they will be out soon, if not already but in case that things don’t go as they supposed to be, I’ll need you to break him out,”

“Alright, that’s easy” Alya nodded. She did not need more explanations, Alya was her best friend and she was always down to help, it was good that she was reckless by nature but Marinette never knew how convenient it would be for her. “Then what?”

“You rip a piece of Adrien’s clothing, rubbed it all over his face or throw a few drops of his blood on it and take it to Nino,” Kagami said, repeating what Marinette had explained an hour before with the whole rebel group, “He can give it to the army as a lead. Nino will come out with a lie of how he got it, he is better than us at strategy and I bet Gabriel already put him to search for you, so he’ll have a good enough excuse.”

“Got it,” Alya nodded, “Are we finally killing that jerk of a King?”

“Not killing,” Kagami frowned, crossing her arms in front of her chest, “We are taking him out of the throne,”

“We’ll see,” Alya whispered and Marinette smiled at her. “So, I help Adrien, I go to Nino and then what?”

“Then you come back and join us in the riot we are about to make,” Marinette smiled.

“Okay,” Alya nodded. She finally broke off the hug and floated in the air, “I’ll see you soon,”

“Be careful,” Marinette said, waving goodbye.

“You too,”

**xx**

Adrien opened his eyes and growled.

He felt nauseous and his neck hurt, the pain made his way down his spine and since his body was already tense it spread everywhere else. The burn of the verbena was nothing but uncomfortable yet it was easy to ignore how heavy his body felt.    Adrien looked around, searching for guards or if Nathalie was still around, but the only person in the room was a donor that sat away from him in one of the big blue cabriole sofas. His eyelids fluttered every few seconds and his head bobbed. He was fighting to stay awake.

Good to know that the cruelty of his father had a limit, he would not let him go crazy without blood. Adrien laughed ironically.

“Oh, finally!” The echo of a voice crossed the room. Adrien looked for it but he was unable to see anything.

“Here, you idiot,” The voice called from above, and Adrien lifted his head and his sight, seeing a black blob flying in the air.

He closed his eyes, opened and narrowed them, focusing better on his target.

“Hey!” He shouted, finally recognizing the demon. “Where have you been?!”

“Keep it low!” Plagg said, putting his hands on top of his mouth in an attempt to close it.

“You took your time, uh?” He asked, lower this time, because Plagg was right, he couldn’t miss the chance of setting himself free just by screaming.

“Would you prefer to have your witch back in a cell or dead?”

“You were with Marinette?” His heart restarted, bringing him back to life. He knew she was capable of handling herself, that she was powerful enough to get away of dangerous situations but Adrien was aware of how fear could overcome her, and the worse thoughts had pierced his skull and invaded his brain.

“Yes,”

“How is-

“Your princess is safe and sound,” Plagg interrupted, “I guide her to the safe house,”

Adrien sighed relieved, “I owe you one,”

“Feed me expensive cheese and we’re even,”

“We got ourselves a deal,” He flashed a toothy smile, “Now do your thing and let’s get out of here,”

The process of turning into a cat was becoming easier. His skin didn’t crawl, his bones didn’t hurt and he felt more comfortable on that shape too.

The chains broke easily when his arms duplicated in size and thanks to the fur, the burning verbena felt like a soft scratch against his skin.

“I would never have guessed that I would start to enjoy being a giant cat,” Adrien laughed.

A screeching yet muffled scream ringed at his left. The donor had found a way to stay awake. He was shaking on his seat, trying to stand up by pressing his arm on the couch and pulling his body up but his sight remained on where the Prince once had stood and now a werecat was grinning at him, and he was unable to do anything but open his mouth and babble no sense.

Adrien inhaled sharply, he had to take care of it now. Giving three big steps, he looked down at the donor from a closer distance.

“If you say a word--” Adrien wasn’t able to finish the phrase because the boy dropped to the floor unconscious.

“Well, that makes it easier,”

With one less problem to take care off, Adrien ran out of the room. There were two guards outside, he hit each one right on the back of their heads and they fell as easily as the donor had fainted.

He was running down the hallways, jumping and climbing, being careful but at the same time not minding if he left a mess behind. He could be discovered and his father would send an army to catch him, but now he knew what he was facing and any obstacle they threw to him would be nothing, he had to make his way back to Marinette and not anything or anyone could stop him from fulfilling that goal.

But there were not many people around in the palace. It was the middle of the evening, every worker, senator or minister would be back home sleeping or enjoying themselves outside of their jobs in the Red Royal.

In the shadows of the hallway a bright light popped out of the blue, it only lasted for a second and he figured out that he would not be able to see it if he wasn’t a cat, but it was enough of a surprise to make him stop running.

The sensation in the room changed, it felt warmer and the red walls stopped being creepy when a kitsune swirled in the air.

“Adrien,” Alya threw herself on his arms.

He stepped back, maintaining his balance, reaching for the wall to help himself and with the other, he wrapped Alya’s waist.

Adrien freed Plagg of the ring and he took back his original shape, still holding Alya in a hug.

“No one would guess you hated me a week ago,” Adrien chuckled.

“You won your love,” Alya said, poking the dimple on his cheek. “And seeing how Marinette loves you, you must have something good, right?”

“Well, thanks,” Adrien giggled, “As happy as I am to see you, how did you find me?”

“I’ve been popping around the palace looking for you,” She explained, “Also for Nino but I can’t find him either. He must have left a part without holy water,”

“He is probably on the army headquarters, it makes sense that he didn’t pour holy water there. Why are you looking for him?” Why wasn’t she looking for Marinette?

“Because I needed to find you and had to communicate the plan to him,”

“What plan?” Adrien frowned and his nose crinkled.

“Oh, right!” Alya laughed and pressed her hand against her forehead as he shook his head. “Our lovely Marinette is leading your revolution, and she came up with a plan. Rebel groups are surrounding the palace as we speak and others are going through the catacombs. I think Mari is on the last one,”  
“We’re gonna attack? Now? Without a plan?” Adrien’s voice crooked, the surprise was too much to handle. When he had proposed an uprising they denied!

“Marinette convinced them,” Alya shrugged, “If it makes you feel better, Chloé thinks she is as impulsive as you. She would not stop repeating it to Kagami, she only stopped when they kissed, I swear,”

“Yeah, Kagami comes handy when Chloé is around,” Adrien laughed. “So, what are we supposed to do now?”

“You need to get out of here as soon as possible and find Marinette,” Alya said, “But first, to be able to complete my part, I need a piece of your clothes and it needs to smell awfully like you,”

“Why?”

“I’ll take it to Nino and I’ll explain to him what to do,”

“I’ll go with you,”  
“No,”  
“Yes,” Adrien said back, “I’m in the dark with the plan, at least let me know how things are going to go with Nino.”

“And then you find Marinette?”  
“And then _we_ find Marinette. I know you’re worried too,”

“She has Kagami and Chloé with her. I don’t think we’ll ever become more than acquaintances but those two are a team to fear. Marinette’s in good hands,”

Adrien smiled, Alya was right and that gave him comfort.

With a lighter heart, Alya, a plan, and the little demon that he was starting to cherish following them, he felt more confident.

Adrien walked with his hand wrapped around Alya’s wrist, ready to pull her away of any pillar, furniture or door she could manage to hit. Alya had to work on her mundane behaviors, and until she did, Adrien would have to babysit her.

The corridors close to the army wings had more people around that the central and housing wings had, so they had to be extra careful with who they crossed and when they had to hide or pass by without looking.

Already in the headquarters of the knight force, it was easy to find Nino. He was on his office, bubbles of water surrounded him as they made them pop to the rhythm of the violin he was playing.

“Woah, our boy is talented,” Alya said, breaking his concentration.

Nino chuckled, he let the violin on top of the glass table at his side and gave Alya a funny look.

“I was wondering how long it would take you two to come here,”  
“You never stop thinking about me, don’t you?” Adrien grinned and winked at him.

“You know it, babe,” Nino winked back and they both laughed “But in all seriousness, your father was already here and informed me about the witch escapade and your involvement on it,”  
“What? Why would he come to you? He knows we are best friends,”

“I’ve never seen him more distressed, so I guess he did not think it through. He believes you’re under a spell and that I could help you go back to your senses,” Nino explained, “I realized the situation and pretended to be outraged, I told him it was disgusting that a witch would cast a love spell on you and that I would do anything in my power to bring back the ‘real Adrien”. I also moved a big group of our army to search through the forest and the city and ordered them to bring Marinette back. The King thinks I’m on his side, I put on a great show.”

Adrien rose a brow at him, begging for more information. “Sorry, Adrien, that’s all he said. He believed me so I did not want to risk it by asking more questions.

Adrien nodded in understanding and hugged him, “Thank you, I owe you so much.”

“You owe me nothing, this is what friends do,”  
He gave him another hug before Alya started explaining the plan -and gave Nino a hug too, complaining that he hadn’t acknowledged her presence, which Adrien thought have been done on propose to annoy her a little, whatever game those two were playing it was entertaining to watch-.

Nino nodded as Alya explained what he had to do and he did not beat an eye, which could be a good thing as much as a bad thing. Once Alya finished, Adrien waited for Nino to say something, but he kept his mouth on a harsh line.

“Nino…” Adrien whispered

“Yes?”

“Any thoughts?”

“Not really,” He shrugged.  
“Do you think… do you think it will work?” Adrien cleared his throat, “I trust Nette, but I also know that she is been hiding for eight years in a valley the size of a pea compared to Kertáh, and she has no experience on battles or was taught war strategy. Her plan sounds as good as any other but it could be flawed, and I need to know it. I don’t want your opinion as my best friend, I want your opinion from the perspective of the strategy genius you are,”

“I think it won’t make a difference what plan we choose to put in action. The rebellion is as secret as a secret organization can be, only the members know about it and your father doesn’t suspect anything. The surprise factor it’s our biggest strength, and of course, Marinette. I think that it has the same chances to succeed as it has to fail, but for the time being, Gabriel will be so focused on finding Marinette that he won’t be expecting you and a group of people to come to capture him and take him off the throne.”

“Great. Why do I feel there’s something else you want to say?”

“I think the hard part of this plan is what happens after we get your father. You’re almost twenty-five, people are expecting you to be King, but it won’t settle right with them once you force your father out.”

“I know,”

“It will also come with a million more problems, not only from Kertáh and the other vampire towns under our government but you will also have to face the other kingdoms and we all know how messy our relationships are with the Goblins and the Witches,”  
“We’ll ask the Faes for help, but we’ll do it when it’s time,” Adrien sighed, “Can we focus on the present?”  
“You want to be king, then think and act like a king, Adrien,”

Without anything to say back to his friend, Adrien crossed his arms in front of his chest and pouted. Nino was right most of the time and it was frustrating.

Truth was that the idea of what would happen after had crossed his mind multiple times but he never met the end of it, there were too many possibilities of what could happen. As impulsive and impatient as he was, Adrien was well aware that he was not a hundred percent ready to be king. His desire for the throne was still a new thing, and the trip that should have been the way to know and learn more about his country and others and by consequence understand more about their external politics had failed, he never got to see all he wanted and then he fell in love with Marinette, changing his motivations.

Adrien had expected to be more prepared to take the crown, but there he was. After years of classes, protocols, books, and meetings, he still was just an immature boy.

Maybe Nino should be king, he had better judgment and did not spend his days doing useless hobbies or daydreaming. Nino was in charge of the army, he had won that place and he was good at it. What did Adrien have to offer?

“Hey,” Nino squeezed his shoulder, “Don’t sulk. I’m sure you’ll do great, your heart is on the right place and you’re smart but you need to brush your emotions aside every once in a while, okay?”

“Okay,” Adrien said, still unconvinced.

“We should go back to Marinette and the girls, we’re losing time,” Alya said, “Someone must have already noticed that you’re gone, A,”

“Yes,” Adrien nodded and ripped the edge of one of his sleeves. With his fangs, he scratched a cut on his index finger and rubbed it on the cloth so his scent would be stronger.

He gave the fabric to Nino who wrapped it in a bubble so he wouldn’t touch it. “I’ll rub this on a few leaves and branches to make our lie more believable. You two get going, I can take care of the situation now,”

“Thank you, again,” Adrien smiled.

“Always,”

Adrien and Alya left Nino behind, going back to the shadows of the hallways, making their way to the closest exit to the catacombs. As expected it was dark, Adrien tried to adjust his vision but the verbena burns were still doing a number on his abilities.  With the help of Alya’s powers, they found a torch that she lighted up and they walked through the narrow space.

Alya would swirl in the air, a meter before Adrien but following his orders, since he was using his sense of smell to locate Marinette or his friends.

“Adrien,” Alya called.

“Yes?”

“All the weight of this situation is landing on Marinette’s shoulders, she’ll be under great pressure,”

Adrien grimaced, “I know,”

“She is doing all these things because she loves you but it is producing some change in her too. I’ve never been able to convince her about The Witch Court and her powers, and how she is more than she thinks she is, but now that she has you and you’ve popped her bubble, she’ll start to realize all those details and her world will crumble down,”

“I know,” He repeated, this time lower.

“Nino is right, the aftermath is going to be worse. But besides the obvious reasons that he already pointed out, if you’re king, Marinette is safe. This revolution gives Marinette her freedom, or part of it I guess, so she’ll be overwhelmed,”

“I’ll help her through it,” Adrien promised, “Marinette and I, we are a team and we’ll support each other, we’ll love each other through everything,”

“No, you’re not understanding. She is thinking about the after too, and that could make her snap in battle. I was going to say that you need to be close to her and protect her, but now I got a better idea,” Alya landed on his side, “I’ll bring Luka, she could use an ally, someone who knows the extent of her powers, someone who can calm her down,”

“Why does it feel like you are asking me?”

“Because is your revolution, your throne and you did not seem to like him that much,”  
“I don’t mind him,” Adrien huffed, “I was having a bad day when we met, but he is okay and I know he loves Marinette if he can help you have to bring him,”

“Then I will,” Alya smiled.

“Does that mean The Witch Court will be here too?” The thought appeared like a predator on his mind.  

“Luka did not make it to _Ifyuru,_ I stopped him before he got close,” Alya explained, “If we succeed and you get your pretty little throne and your father end ups in chains, then we will hear about The Witch Court.”

“Good enough for me,” Adrien shrugged.

“And for me, oh how, I hate those witches,” Plagg said. He sat on Adrien’s shoulder and licked his tiny paw.  

“Have you met them?” Adrien asked intrigued. The only things Adrien knew about Plagg was that he was a demon, he could convert him in a cat when he entered his ring, he was annoying (and loved to be) and he liked cheese.

“We got history!” Plagg huffed, “Not as much as Marinette’s powers have but enough to say I would never want to face them again,”

“Why do I feel like you know so much more than you let on?” Adrien asked.

“Because he probably does,” Alya said, poking Plagg’s head, “I’m a deity, low rank but still one, and my senses are good, yet this little thing gives me trouble, almost as it wasn’t a real demon”

“Excuse me, foxy, I _am_ a real demon, I’m just not a normal demon,”  

“Same difference,” Alya snorted.

“Let’s not discuss him, we are in a short schedule here,” Adrien interrupted. He took Plagg by one of his ears and pulled him away from Alya.

“It could be important,” Alya said over Adrien’s shoulder.

“We’ll take care of the fucking Court after we take my father off his throne. If I’m King I can help Marinette, and to be King I need to arrive on time, so less thinking more acting,” Adrien clapped, “Go find Luka, I go to Nette,”  
“Alright, alright,” Alya said lifting her hands asking for mercy, “Take care of her, okay?”  
“I will. You be careful too,”

“I’ll do my best,” She winked, flames surrounded her and she vanished.

**xx**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is shorter than others, and i think that will make the next chapter longer (?) there was a scene that i wrote here and then it just didn't make any sense to me for it to be here. if i'm honest with you i still need to discover what makes a chapter a chapter. 
> 
> 3 chapters left :( how sad, i feel like i've been writing this story for like a year but really it's been only like 3 moths. i got so much love for it, i've come up with more ideas bc i'm turning it into an og, and i think you can see that in the little hints that i leave.  
>  **next chapter: something yall been waiting for, and so has adrien ;)**
> 
>  
> 
> ps. i changed tumblrs! now it is : buginettez. i had to make a new blog bc i've had troubles with that account for more than a year now, and the whole censorship thing just messed it up more. so if you were following me before, then you won't find me in the old blog anymore, buginettez is the new thing ;) 
> 
> all the love! and happy holidays!


	29. akumadrien

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> akumadrien:   
> he is angry.... and that's about it lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, i'm kind of taking a break from the fandom but since i'm on vacation and with not my usual wifi connection i had time to get inspired and write and this happened!   
> so  
> here   
> ya   
> go

 

The path back to the palace had been a new experience for Marinette. She never had been surrounded by that many people, and for sure she had never been in the middle of a big group of angry vampires without getting hurt before, but life was full of surprises, wasn’t it?

While technically the plan they were following was her idea and everyone had just accepted it with much protest, she was not the one leading them to the palace. She was at the back of the group, Alix and Nathanael had one hand linked with hers at each side and they were telling her all about their first encounter with Adrien.

At the beginning she was laughing with them and making sneaky remarks, feeling so grateful to have met someone like Adrien in her life, but the closest they got to the palace, the quieter she got, and once they were inside the catacombs she didn’t want to speak or keep walking anymore.

Things were going too fast, she did not have time to analyze her real feelings and any wrong step she took could lead her into the path of death. The insecurities that she sent to the back of her mind were slowly crawling to the front, blurring her vision and troubling her logic.

How is that she always came back to the same? She would fear strong and confident one moment and then the next she was back into the endless loop of not feeling powerful enough.

Something always pushed her back, something didn’t want her to keep going and get her triumph. Something wasn’t inside of her but didn’t belong within her.

“Marinette,” Kagami called her name and pulled her from her dress.

Marinette apologized to Alix and Nathanael and took one step back to be closer to Kagami.

Chloé wrapped her hand around her waist and pulled her closer to them, stopping their way, they waited until there was a good amount of space between them and the group.

Marinette jolted her hand from Chloé’s hand, her grip was tight, and it was beginning to hurt.

Once she cut free, Kagami took her other wrist.

“What?” She hissed lowly, trying to pull back from her.

“I smell Adrien,” Kagami said.

Her breath got caught on her throat.

Kagami’s senses were superior to the ones of any vampires there, so Adrien could be relatively close, yet still far.

“Can you tell if he is okay?” Maybe she could hear the way he walked or if he was gasping or whining, maybe she could tell by smell if there was any blood, and maybe he was close enough for Kagami to start seeing him.

“He’s agitated,” She said, “He is close enough, so he must have sensed you already, sense why he is running.”

Kagami was right, he was running, and he had sensed her, she could tell by the goofy smile drawn on his face. It made her heart melt.

Marinette had never been on a rebel mission or any battlefield, so she didn’t know if there was some sort of etiquette to follow, like stay calm and don’t do anything foolish, don’t show your feelings and stay on alert all the time. If those did exist, then she broke all the rules, because when she saw Adrien she could not do anything but run to find him in the tightest, warmest and biggest hug she had ever given to him.

Adrien received her in his arms and spun her around as he giggled joyfully.

“I was so worried,” He said pressing kisses all over her face, “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Marinette cupped his cheeks and gave him a short kiss on the lips.

“What did he do to you? Are you hurt?” She asked once he put her in the ground and she was able to look at him more carefully.  
“My wrists have a few burns because of the verbena, but nothing serious,” Adrien explained, “He thinks you threw a spell on me. And I did not figure it out how did he know we were lying, but it was probably Nathalie tracking you, so...”

“That doesn’t matter now. _He knows_ , and we are already doing something about it. And yeah, we are still here” Chloé said, her arms were crossed in front of her chest and she was pouting.

Adrien chuckled, he took a step forward and caught her in a hug. Chloé stiffened first and then a tender smile, that she hid rather quickly, appeared on her face before giving the hug back.

“Did you really couldn’t get any information about how they figured it out?” Kagami asked. Adrien shook his head in negative, “It is important, Adrien. Not a single thing?”

“Nada. Whatever it is, we don’t have time to worry about it. We’re about to attack the palace and my father and that’s the only thing we should be thinking about.” Adrien gave one clap at the end of the phrase.

Red rings of burnt skin peeked through his dirty and creased shirt. Marinette felt acid ran down her throat.

“Minou,” She whispered and passed her thumb across the wound, carefully to not hurt him.

“I’ll heal soon, Nette.”

“I can make it heal _now._ ”

“No.” Adrien took her hands and pushed them down, “I can heal on my own. We can’t risk you to be found.”

“Sancoeur won’t notice. I have all I need in my belt, I won’t need to call much magic,” She said. The look Adrien was giving her let her know that he wasn’t up for it. “I really doubt she’ll find me, it is such a simple spell, Adrien, I could recite it asleep.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,”

“Promise?” Adrien cupped her cheek, she nuzzled against it.

“Promise.”

**x**

Marinette rubbed the iodo on Adrien’s wrist and listened to his story. She was surprised by the King’s behavior towards his son, also she couldn’t deny that he loved Adrien, as awful and wrong his way of love was, he did care for him.

In her imagined portray of him, he did not have any other personality trait more than his cruelty and cunning attitude, but now she would have to add some grams of love into his hollow heart. Somehow it made her hate him more because for all of these years she believed his only purpose was to turn himself into a more powerful version of him, yet he was hunting her to bring back his wife, to bring back someone he loved and give it back to his son too. It was better to think of him as a person incapable to love than someone who actually had emotions inside of him.

“What are you thinking?” Adrien asked.

“Not much.” She lied, not wanting to share with him. Who his father was would always be an obstacle for them, a little weight that they would always have to carry with them, but there was no reason to make it harder than it was.

“Another way to say _a lot_.”

She clicked her tongue and nodded in agreement.

“I have this weird thought,” She said. There were other things she could talk about that were eating out her brain.

“What is it?”

“I think that Sancoeur cannot actually sense my magic. At least not on her own,”  
“But she figured it out we were lying.” Adrien interrupted, “I’m putting my money on that, it’s the logical explanation.”

“I don’t think so,” She shook her head. “I’ve been running around the thought for hours but something Kagami said called my attention and I have been unable to let it go,”

“Tell me about it.”

Marinette began to tell her past hours, not going deep in any unnecessary details and going right into the conversation she had with Kagami, highlighting the confidence of the girl’s confidence.

“Do _you_ think the brooch makes her powerful?” Adrien asked. He poked her cheek and waited for an answer.

“Maybe, maybe _not_ ,” Marinette shrugged, “I think I want to believe it. It would explain so much. I’m not betting on anything since it is the _only_ theory we have, but because it is the most plausible. Plagg has said some stuff too.”

“Plagg is a jerk, Nette,”

“No, he is not,” She huffed, and crossed her arms in front of her chest, “I think he just pretends to be annoying but knows many useful things.”

“What did he say to you?” He asked in an aggressive tone.

“Not much. Enough.”

“He is a demon; does he actually know more than you could know about yourself?”

“I don’t know anything about myself! I mean, I know who I am, what I like, who I love, but as a witch? I’ve been under The Court’s orders since I’m six years old. I know what they want me to know.”

“Isn’t that strange? I’m not doubting you, my lady, I’m just trying to understand how could that work. You’re their queen, their most powerful weapon. Why would they keep you in the dark?

“It doesn’t make much sense to me either, but…” Marinette sighed, “Plagg fears, or at least respects, The Court’s power. Demons serve us but don’t respect us very much. It is what makes Tikki so special. There was something strange in the way Plagg talked to me about them and about my powers.” Marinette held her breathe, “I would understand if he is terrified of them, I know that I am.”

Marinette hugged him and then gave a cynical laugh, “But if I don’t know if that says much. I’m terrified of everything,”  
“Yet you’re the bravest person I know, Marinette,”

Marinette laughed again, “You can’t be serious.”

“I am. I see how afraid you’re, I see how they have made fear your default response, they have practically breed you and shaped you to be frightened all the time, Nette but being afraid doesn’t mean you’re not brave. I believe that being afraid and still fight, still going for what you want makes you braver than any other person in the world,”

“I think you give me too much credit because you’re in love with me.”  
“I’m in love with you but I wouldn’t lie to you,” He pressed a kiss on her forehead, “You protected the valley you lived in, you didn’t have to but you took care of them, knowing that it could cost you your life,”  
“The valley is the size of a pea, Adrien. And I still managed to almost get myself killed because of fear. Should I remind you? We met because I was drowning, too afraid of using my powers to save myself,”  
“Sirens hunt witches, Marinette. If you used magic you were either eaten by them or found by my father. You ended up dead, either way, that was a situation without any options. We are not counting that.” He ran his fingers through her hair, he stole a kiss from her lips and continued.

“Your whole village was hiding because of a wendigo and thought you didn’t know, you went to investigate what was going on and you made it out alive! Then it was me, you accepted me, a monster, without thinking it twice. I know from the moment I met you that you were great and powerful because you handled yourself around me better than any other creature I crossed in my journey. And from there I have only exceptional things to say of how brave you are, princess.” His voice dropped an octave, and he looked at her with a serious expression on his eyes “You went hunting with me; you took me to Luka’s, so you could perform an exorcism, knowing how dangerous it was for us to go on foot. Please! You took us out of a restaurant when you thought you were in danger, you didn’t freeze or stayed there waiting, you acted and found us a place to sleep,” He cupped her cheek and lifted her head, so her sight would connect with his again. She had looked away in the middle of his sentence, her cheeks were turning red. “When I ran away from you, you came for me. You entered _Kertáh_ willingly and when you faced trouble you fought against it. Marinette you fought Nathalie. I don’t care if she got you at the end, you didn’t give up. Not when she was draining you, not when you were in the cells, not _now._ You’re here and ready to fight, knowing you could stumble with the face of all your nightmares, and you’re still brave. Bloody saints, princess, if that’s not being brave then tell me what it is,”

Tears were streaming down her face, but she was smiling. Marinette sniffed and cleaned the tears falling down her cheeks. Adrien passed his thumb over one single tear rolling down her cheekbone.

“I love you.” He said, giving a tender smile before finding her midway to kiss her.

Marinette put her hands around his neck, tilted her head and stood on the points of her toes to kiss him back.

He grabbed her by her waist and lifted her from the ground, so she could meet his lips easily.

“Is this how you felt whenever you put yourself down and I told you that you were incredible?” She said between a sob, her voice shaking.

He nuzzled her nose against hers, lips brushing hers once he answered, “Apparently,”  
“You know? I’ve always thought that I was brave, funny and smart, and then all of the horrible things that have happened to me, well, happened, and slowly I started to doubt myself because of... I never… I couldn’t live without fear and that was all I saw all the time,” Marinette clicked her tongue, “And when you appeared I had to start doing things on my own because if I relayed on Hälsa or The Court then you would be gone… When you came into my life, you brought love with you, but you also brought _me_ back. And I think I didn’t notice that until now.”

“I’m glad to hear, but all these wonderful things you are, they’re not on me. My arrival might have sparked the beginning of certain situations, but all the other things you did it yourself.”

Marinette smiled.

“I love you.”

“I love you more.”

Ten minutes later, they walked hand in hand back to their group.

Chloé and Kagami were sitting, the last one was leaning against a wall, arms wrapped around the blonde and nuzzling her nose against her neck. Chloé had her eyes closed and her hand on top of Kagami’s hand, caressing her hair and humming.

It was almost cruel to interrupt them when they looked so peaceful.

But Adrien did not seem to mind. “Kagami what do you know about the brooch?”

Leaving behind his heartfelt talk with Marinette, he was all business now.

The girls growled at the unison and glared at their friend for interrupting their peaceful moment.

“Don’t be angry at me, we’re not on vacation,”

“So, you can have all the time in the world but _we_ have to follow your lead? Ridiculous.” Chloé huffed.

“You chose as me as King, my dear friend, so now you’re fucked.”

Chloé poked her tongue and frowned at him. Adrien mirrored her expression which made her angrier.

“We should start moving anyways,” Marinette added, “But, could you answer that Kagami? I know we talked about it already, but we never really got that deep into it.”

“There’s no problem,” Kagami shrugged.

She took Chloé’s hand and dragged her to follow her as she took the place of their guide. Kagami was the most skilled for the job after all.

“So, the brooch,” Adrien said voice low, calmer this time.

“She always wears it and has it hidden, and once I asked about it and she almost threw me off the roof. Whatever it does it is important, so I bet that’s what makes her so powerful.”

“Doesn’t every witch have jewelry for their familiars. You have your earrings, right Nette? And let’s say Plagg is my familiar, he is on my ring.”  
“That’s what Marinette said too.” The smile on Kagami’s voice was impossible to ignore.

Something flickered in Marinette’s mind.

“I also said that dark witches don’t have familiars and it could be an old possession. Yet, the more I think about it, the more I think Kagami is right. There’s something that Plagg said that has been running around in my mind and I think I can tie it to Sancoeur,”

“What is it?” The three said at the unison.

“Plagg said she was an _original_ ,” Marinette said, the word rolling out of her mouth with certain mockery. “I had no idea what he meant by that, but I realized that if Sancoeur doesn’t only believe I can bring back the dead, she is _sure_ that I can. That’s something I didn’t even know my magic could do. All this time I believed the King only wanted my powers for personal use, to become more than he was, but that’s not the case.”

“He wants my mother back,” Adrien huffed and rolled his eyes. “

“Yeah but that’s not the point. The thing is that she knows I can, and the only people who know the extent of my powers are the ones in The Witch Court and if my memory doesn't fail me -and I don’t think it does in these kinds of things- every single one of them owns a piece of jewelry besides the one that holds their familiars.”

“What are you saying?” Chloé said, stopping in the middle of the way.

“That she stole it?” Adrien asked but it was like he didn’t need an answer for it because he didn’t believe that was the reason.

“She is part of it,” Marinette and Kagami said at the same time.

“The Court is formed by eight witches, which is odd if you think about it because every other structure in our kingdom has uneven members, to vote and make decisions. It’s strange that the most powerful part of the government is not, I always thought it was weird but now…whoa.”

“Wouldn’t you know about it?” Chloé asked.

“I’m starting to think that they like me better in the village, without any training or real knowledge.” She whispered, the truth finally landing on her heart and spreading through her body. While it hurt to feel so dumb and oblivious, it was relieving to finally see the light. “Also, they wouldn’t have let anyone know. If one of them betrayed them and left, it would have stayed secret forever.”

“She left and came to live under the Vampire King’s roof, I say they would have cut everyone’s tongue to not spread the rumor.”

“You say because you hate The Court since we visited _Fewery_ for the Fae’s festival and they were there and didn’t let you eat the sugar flowers,” Chloé said rolling her eyes.

Marinette laughed at that.

“That’s just another reason why I don’t like them.” Adrien pouted. “And let me breathe, I was twelve,”

“Well, going back to the important,” Marinette said, rubbing Adrien’s arm comforting him. “I think we need to get rid of that pin. Whatever it does, it makes Sancoeur our biggest enemy.”

“It does,” Adrien nodded.

“Hey! It could be the reason why can touch ruthenium and remain unaffected,” Kagami added, to what Marinette nodded in agreement.

“Okay, I agree with all of you, the pin makes her powerful, however, I don’t think her weapons are made of ruthenium,” Chloé said.

“It drains my powers, it can’t be anything else,” Marinette said back, “There are other things that can be used against us, but the only metal that would be able to leave a witch powerless is ruthenium.”

Chloé shook her head, crossing her arms in front of her chest she looked decided and it would be impossible to change her mind. Nonetheless, Marinette was ready to do so.

“Listen, the daggers and the whip are made of it, I have felt them--”

“I’ve touched Nathalie with ruthenium before.” The revelation made Marinette take one step back. _She what?  
“_Remember that time she took away the little _nyx_ I found in the river?” She asked looking at Kagami, who nodded, “I was so angry and wanted revenge. We learned in class that one way to stop a witch was ruthenium, so I looked for it. It seemed like a good idea back then, a way to release my anger and teach her a lesson. I found the perfect piece to do it, it was little, and I could put it on her silverware. So, before dinner, I melted ruthenium in one of the knives and made sure to put it on her seat. She almost vanishes when she touched the knife. It was the first and the last time I saw her afraid.”

“How long ago was that?” Marinette asked. There was a ringing sound in her ears and she could hardly breathe. This changed so many things.

“Like two years ago,” Kagami huffed and pinched her nose.

“That’s impossible,” Marinette gasped.

“It’s not ruthenium I’m telling you,”

“What else could it be?” Marinette asked, her voice went two octaves too high, showing off her distress.

“She could have protected her skin with a spell or--

“No, she would not,” Chloé interrupted, “We had the same classes, Adrien, did you even paid attention? Witches can be affected by ruthenium without having to be touched, and their magic would not work against it. Her daggers, whip, whichever weapon she uses it is not made of ruthenium,”

“Could it be that--

“No, that couldn’t be,” Marinette said, without listening what her boyfriend was about to suggest. “It doesn't make any sense! Ruthenium is the only choice, I would have never felt so much pain or been so powerless if it was not.”

“Then come up with a way that she could have done it, because if you can’t think of anything else I’m going to keep saying it is not ruthenium,”

And Marinette started to think. Images of old classes, books she had read and pictures she had seen crossed her mind in the shape of a spiral, hitting like a brave hurricane of knowledge.

Besides ruthenium, there were a few plants and a precious stone that could decrease their powers, but they would never drain witches as ruthenium did.

The other option was that Sancoeur, as a dark witch, could have a spell that would grant her the ability to handle ruthenium without losing powers, but as she thought about it the memory of trial she witnessed years ago came back to her. A dark sorcerer had been accused of trying to steal one of the holy crowns, he said he was innocent. Ruthenium had been used against him to make him talk.

The sorcerer was powerful, maybe more than Sancoeur was, if a spell to resist ruthenium existed, he would have used, which meant it didn’t exist.

“And?” Kagami rose a brow, interrupting Marinette’s train of thought. But really there was not more to dig in.

“ _I think Chloé is right,_ ” Marinette said, stuttering a little.

“Do not say those words,” Adrien said and covered Marinette’s mouth with his hands. She frowned. “Great, we are doomed for a decade now,”  
“Because I am right!” Chloé laughed victoriously.

“You should have phrased it differently, princess” He laughed, and Marinette hit his shoulder with her fist.

“This is serious, Adrien!”

“I know, I was just trying to light up the mood,”

“ _Don’t_.” Marinette tsked and closed her eyes for a few seconds, figuring out a breathing pattern to stay calm. All her life the only weapon against her had been ruthenium and now with this new piece of information, she would have to be wary of something else, something unknown.

Adrien took a step back and kept quiet after that.

“Marinette what I said before still stands. You’re going with us, if Nathalie even dares to look at you in the eye we will do something about it.” Kagami said, putting one assuring hand over her shoulder.

“It won’t make a different,” Marinette said under her breathe, “If what Nathalie Sancoeur has is not ruthenium, then it is something strong enough to drain _me_ from my powers, and whatever it is, it doesn’t hurt _her_. Who knows what else she could have?”

“Whatever it is, we’ll face it at the moment it gets to us,” Chloé said, “Also, I still have that knife I used with her. I didn’t bring it because I was going to be around you, but I could go for it in a run. It’s not big enough to affect you that badly, is it?”  
“I got the feeling it wouldn’t affect me at all,” Marinette said in a whisper.

Why would she use any other thing but ruthenium if the metal did affect her?

With that said, they started to plan their next move.

Chloé really wanted to bring the piece of silver, now become weapon, with her. It could be their only defense against Nathalie since there was no time to go look for bigger or various pieces for all of them to carry.

Adrien had approached Marinette again, yet his moves had lacked their usual confidence. Marinette caught his hand with hers but refused to look at him. She knew he had only been joking but the unsettling feeling on her stomach made her snap at him and she was still feeling a little angry.

Finally, as they reached the end of the last tunnel, it was time to separate.

Chloé untied her hair and let it fall on top of her shoulders, brushing it and using the ribbon that held her ponytail to make a headband to match her light blue dress. She took her whip and gave it to Kagami. Kagami took one of the daggers hidden in a band on her tight and gave it to her as change.

Marinette secured her belt -she was so happy that Adrien had made time to bring it with him, she would have to thank him properly later- and opened the still invisible bag of kitsune crystal balls. She rolled one in the palm of her hand and closed her fingers around it, pressing it so hard against her skin, waiting for it to break and turn into dust.

When it did, the rush of magic that leaked through made her feel like she was floating and dizzy in an odd and good way.

“I’m ready.” She informed, feeling confident.

“Then let’s go,” Kagami said, twirling a butterfly knife and pulling a short smug.

“Girls, I’ll think you’ll have to go without me. It’s better if I go with Chloé,”

“What?” Marinette gasped.

“I need to go back to the palace,” Adrien said, no further explanation.

“You can’t,” The girls said at the unison, all surprised that he wasn’t staying with Marinette.

“There's some unfinished business I need to take care of and that will make our mission a lot easier.”

“They could see you and the whole plan would burn to the ground,” Kagami said angrily.

“Adrien…” Marinette called, searching for an answer in his eyes.

“It won’t change anything if they see me. Nino must have a big group of soldiers looking for me already so there won’t be enough forces in the castle and they could not return so quickly. It’ll be fine I promise.”

Marinette doubted it, she looked at him intensely, trying to decode his thoughts but there was a barrier she could not push. He looked determined and that made her feel a bit afraid.

“Are you willingly putting yourself in danger, Adrien?”  
“What? No. I just _need_ to do something.”

“But you’ll join us later.” That was not even a question, it was an order.

However, he answered, “Yes, I will.”

“Promise?”  
“Promise.”

“Say it.”

“I promise that I’ll join you later.”

Marinette wrapped her arms around Adrien’s neck, he wrapped his around her waist.

“I love you,” They said at the unison.

“Once all of this is over, I’ll take you to _Ritsua_ ,” Adrien whispered, pressing a kiss on her temple, “We have a summer house there and it’s beautiful, but more than anything, it’s is peaceful. We’ll go there, we’ll sleep till late, wander around the flower fields, bake cookies, or any other thing you feel like doing,”

“That sounds wonderful,” She smiled, “I can’t wait.”

She kissed his lips one last time and they parted ways, the ache of the separation hitting at the moment they let go of their hands.

 

**xx**

 

Adrien and Chloé did not stay together for a long time. The girl knew him longer, and he would dare to say, better than any other person around him, so it wasn’t surprising that she didn’t ask him where he was going. Chloé waved him goodbye when he went left, and she went right, and shout him to be careful with that annoying voice she always performed to hide how worried she actually was.

Thanks to Nino, the hallways of the palace lacked their usual number of knights which made his way through easy that it could have been.

However, the silence did not help his case because there was no one whispering around and spilling clues that could take him to his target.

Trying to find a pattern on his father’s behavior could lead him to where he was at now. He would not be on his room, at the throne room or in a crowded place, he would be with Nathalie planning their next step, waiting to find Marinette and finish what they had started days ago.

Could they be in the hidden room with the window on the roof? It did serve as a villain lair and it was where they tried to perform their plan. Unless it was sacred or there was a special kind of magic that didn’t need to be disturbed, it seemed like the best place to go and look for them.

“What are we doing?” Plagg popped out of nowhere, the realm of the demon dimension disappearing behind him.

“So nice of you to show up! We’re doing something quite fun today, my annoying familiar,”

“Do not call me that,” Plagg gagged. “What is that we’re doing exactly? I sensed your troubled mind, but you look quite happy. I feel like sleeping so if it’s not worth my time--

“It is completely worth it,” Adrien smiled, his fangs shining as his eyes did, “We are getting down to business, Plagg. I’m a man of word, I don’t let my promises linger for long, and I promised Marinette that I would kill every single person that hurt her. If I don’t do it now, I never will.”

“Because of your impulsiveness?”  
Adrien clicked his tongue at him, “Because I’ll be King and going in a killing spree is not so honorable,”

“So, it doesn’t matter as a prince, uh?”

“Technicalities,” He shrugged.

Adrien took a quick turn to the right and went up stretch steps, he grabbed on to the rail and jumped on top of it, using it to start climbing the stone walls. This would give him a better vision of his surroundings and it would be harder to find him. He looked back making sure Plagg was still following him.

“Hey,” He whispered, calling the demon’s attention.

“What?”

“When you helped Marinette escape the castle… What did you say to her? Most importantly, what _didn’t_ you tell her?”

“I hid must of what I know. Is too much to bear, and I simply can’t.”  
“What do you mean?

“Long story short: she is not only the most powerful witch in the world, but she is also one of the most precious people in the universe. I can’t say much because I’ve been ordered to keep it secret,”  
“And somehow you’re talking,”

“I’m not a common demon, Adrien, I don’t really come from the dimension all those other demons come. I was created here, so was Marinette’s familiar, though she won’t remember. We were both created by Marinette’s magic, and we’ve been around as long as her power has been in this dimension. However, I do experience the downfalls that demons do. I can make my way around the secrets, take the words that were ordered to me and make them work my way but there’s not much more than I can do when I hit the limit.”

“What makes you special?”

“Marinette.”

“You knew her before this?”

“I know her powers,” Plagg said. “I’m the opposite of what Marinette, what the _queens_ are. To every force in the world, there must be an opposite, that’s how we keep the balance. While Tikki, her demon, exist to control her own magic, I appeared in this world as a contrast, as an equal force.”

“Is that why we could stop her before? When she was attacking us and was glowing, you got in my ring and we were able to stop her.”

“Yes,” Plagg nodded, “With you, I am more powerful. You provide stability.”  
“That doesn’t make any sense,”

“It would if I could explain why.”

“Oh. No way to cheat there?”

“Not at all.” Plagg huffed, “The Originals are quite tricky.”

“Originals, Nette said something about it. Nathalie is one of them.”

“She is.”

“And what does that mean.”

“I can’t say either.”

“Is it possible to kill her?”  
“People in this dimension tend to die,”

“Not vampires,” Adrien crooked a brow.

Plagg didn’t answer.

There should be a way to find a loophole, but that would be later, they were approaching their final destination and it reeked of undead.

Nathalie was here.

Adrien called for Plagg, it was better if he stayed extra close in case he needed to use his powers.

Securing his grasp around the rocks, he started to move slowly and cautiously towards the next room, moving closer to the windows, staying just above the frame so the moonlight wouldn’t catch him, and his body remained hidden in the shadows.

The hallway was familiar, but last time he had walked on it his emotions had been shut down and looking back it had been the smartest plan Chloé could have come up with. If he felt angry and bloodthirsty now, back then he would have signed his mortality and death sentence by entering and trying to snap Nathalie’s neck.

Now he was still angry and bubbling in negative emotions, but he was sure than Marinette was safe and sound with Kagami, which made him use his logic and be more strategical.

The wooden door at the end of the hallway opened and a queue of undead men walked dragging their feet.

He waited until they moved to the middle of the hallway, counted them and analyzed his best way to start the attack. Nathalie was nowhere to be found, but if her army was here, she could not be far.

“Let’s get down to business,” Adrien smirked.

He opened his hands, losing his grip and falling down on top of one of the undead. He bent its head, use it to impulse himself and jump over it, and pulling the undead body with him so he could use it to hit the rest of them around it.

Fighting undead armies was not something he ever imagined himself doing, but oh boy was it fun. It was easier than any other fight he had been in and that allowed him certain liberties.

Adrien would wait for them to try to attack him, jump on top of their shoulders and laugh and play with them, using their own bodies to bring them down and their companions.

Plagg was laughing at his side as he made two undead crash into each other by standing in the middle and jumping at the last minute.

However, when the last undead fell to the floor but he wasn’t able to chant victory. The sound of heavy steps came from the stairs and a band of knights of the court appeared at the end of the hallway and something told him that using his title to stop them.

The use of knights would explain how weak the undead were during their attacks. As fun and easy as it had been he imagined it didn’t have to be like that all the time. Nathalie was known and feared for her power, but her army of undead was recognized as well and people did run in other direction when they saw them. Why she chose to rely on knights and not her army was odd, but the soldiers did not give him enough time to wonder.

If they recognized him, they didn’t care. They ran with swinging swords and sharp spears, metal and leather armors with the Agreste’s family coats of arms shining on their right upper arm.

“I recommend you, don't do this,” Adrien said, running to the wall, ready to climb. “You won’t keep your job if you attack the King!”

Of course, they didn’t listen. Adrien suspected there was magic involved on it, they wouldn’t be so dumb to just attack him.

Using his compelling powers, he called for their boots. The sudden movement would make them lose their balance and only the skilled would stay on their feet, decreasing the men who would attack him first. He smiled when it worked and only ten of the twenty-three men stood up.

Because of the helmets, they were wearing he could not compel them to do as he wanted, so he would have to fight them before thinking of doing any of the sorts. And without his compelling, he would have to require to other skills to face them. Adrien needed a weapon. 

The tallest knight pushed him and swung his sword at him, Adrien dodged but stumbled back, falling to the ground. As he fell, his sight focused on one of the decorative armors on the corridor, finding his weapon.   
He brushed through the floor, gave three rolls, moving closer to the statues, and extended his feet towards one of the metal armors, hitting just at the point of the sword they were holding. It balanced from side to side, shaking the armor and crumbling it apart.

Adrien, still lying on the ground and on his back, pushed his strength and jumped up, taking the falling sword by its blade and grabbing it. The iron cut her hand, but he didn’t pull away. In one swift motion, he threw the sword to his other hand and took it by its handle, swinging it just at the moment a knight came his way.

He cleaned the dripping blood on his pants and started clashing swords with the attacking knight, and at the same time, he threw back one punch to one coming behind him.  

With the sword on hand, the fight ran more swiftly. He wasn’t on disadvantage and he could mix his compelling over objects with his sword-fighting skills, and as trained as the knights could be, he had constant training battles with Kagami. He didn’t win half of the time, but he learned so many things that he put in practice at that moment.

Kagami was light on her feet and because of that, so was Adrien. He didn’t stop moving, his moves were short yet precise, letting him sway his sword at them, protect himself and being able to attack and avoid the sharp blades at the same time.

It had been a while since he challenged anyone but his dear friend, and he was having fun as he did. It did imply more danger than fighting Kagami, with her the only thing to lose was his dignity (and he might have already lost all to her), now his life, Marinette’s and the people he cared about were at stake, and somehow, he was still enjoying the fight.

He did not know if between these knights there was one of the many men that hunt down Marinette, but if they served his father there was a big chance that at least one was in this group. The _metas_ that drank her blood when she was thirteen would be harder to find, but for now, he could be satisfied with fighting these soldiers.

His sword was swift and light on his hand, his moves where coordinated, almost part of some choreography, and the knights were starting to get angry, changing their strategies.

Attacking them in a group, making barricades and throwing shields, spears, and swords to catch him every time he jumped on the walls or the roofs. Nothing worked, Adrien was on the winning part of the balance, he was more skilled, agile and a faster thinker than they were.

He was well aware that it wasn’t time for games, but he could not resist when he saw two knights, at different sides of the hallway, running towards him. His mouth curled in a cocky smile and he allowed himself to do something fun.

Adrien ran directly to clash against the knight on his left, but centimeters before the impact he jumped and grabbed his helmet. He threw it away as he landed behind the man, he spun on his feet and pulled his hair back and pushed his body to the front.

“I promised my princess that Nathalie would be the first to die, but you all seem so eager to cross to the other side that I’ll make an excuse. My lady is amazing, I don’t think she’ll mind if I spice things a little” He said as he smashed the man’s head against the wall, blood splattering on his face.

The knights that came to him now suffered much of the same luck, Adrien called for their helmets, jumped and swirled his sword at them, the blade cutting right on all of their necks, blood splattered all around like a strong rain shower.

Adrien laded in front of four more, dropped to the floor with an extended leg, he circled making them fall and pierced his sword down the uncovered part of their stomachs.

“Who wants to be next?” Adrien asked, cleaning the blood on his cheek, leaving a big smudge behind, however that didn’t erase the smirk off his face.

When he turned around there was only three knights on their feet, all shaking and pointing their swords at him, however, Adrien couldn’t care less about them when he saw, at the other side of the door, the shadow of a tall skinny woman.

Losing no time, Adrien ran to the room, he jumped over the knights and compelling their helmets he made them shrink. That would take care of them for a while, and hopefully, he would have taken care of Nathalie once they made it out.  

Entering the room, he saw Nathalie in the middle of it, on her knees, hands on the floor and throwing magic on a strange pentagram that was starting to glow.

His blood boiled and his skin crawled when he saw her.

Adrien ran to her, but he was stopped by a purple blast that threw him at the other side of the room. The hit hurt, but his ego was hurting a little bit more since he did not realize she had put her hands up to attack.

“Did you really think that was going to work, Adrien?” Nathalie asked, standing up.

“Worth the shot,” Adrien answered, flashing his fans at her before trying to attack her one more time.

This time he was welcomed by the same blast, but he was ready to dodge it. He threw himself to the floor and rolled on it until he was at Nathalie’s feet. Wrapping one hand around her ankle he pulled her to the ground.

More explosions followed, adding difficulty to his fight since he could not open his eyes. Nathalie jolted her leg side to side and hissed at him, breaking free with another curtain of smoke and magical pyrotechnics.

Adrien’s hands burned, and his eyes were tearing up, but he dragged himself through it and stood up once again, trusting only his hearing to follow Nathalie in the room.

“C’mon, Nath,” He called, rubbing his eyes with his fists, adjusting his sight, “Let’s not make this more complicated. You know you can’t hurt me,”

“Always so cocky, Adrien. That’s not how your father raised you,” That phrase was enough to locate her in the room.

“My father did not do any raising.”  

Adrien ran in her direction. Sword up, fangs out and determination shining, but when he got to her, one of the knights was just in front of him and pushed him away from Nathalie. He had not heard him.

Nathalie giggled behind it. Adrien smiled too, soon that with would see who was going to laugh last.

He swung his sword at the knight and hit his blade, the ‘clink’ echoed in the room and mixed with the sound of heavy boots walking behind him, running towards him.

Adrien’s eyes opened wide. If he focused on the knights he would never catch Nathalie. A growl echoed on the back of his throat and he got distracted. The soldier swayed his sword at his feet, cutting swiftly but the blow was strong enough to make him fall.

Adrien whined and heard the steps behind him getting louder. He would not be fast enough to stand up. He looked back and got ready for them to get to him, to figure it out how to act next.  The servants of the king were running towards him and then, they weren’t. A whip wrapped around one of the knights and threw the shield of a fallen one to their heads.

Adrien smiled, pressed the point of the sword on the cobblestones to help himself stand up and turn to his savior. “Thank you, Chlo!”

“You’re really nothing without me, are you?” She said, her snobby personality showing off but also a little blush on her cheeks.

“There’s no need to be dramatic,”

“Isn’t that out characteristic trait, Adrikins?” She asked as she swirled her whip in the air, hitting the knights once again, making one of them fall unconscious.

Adrien laughed but did not answer, his attention was back on Nathalie.

She was still standing where she had been before, hands in the air and her whole body was shivering. Something wasn’t strange about her, but Adrien could not pinpoint what it was. It didn’t matter, he would take advantage of it, now that Chloé was there to take care of the soldiers, nothing would stop him.

Adrien had never particularly disliked Nathalie. She was always good to him, she would do her most to give him time with his father and she cared about him. He knew Chloé hated her, Kagami respected her and Nino couldn’t care less, but now that he knew all he had done to Marinette, he had joined Chloé’s side. At some point, he would have thought of Nathalie as a maternal figure, but tonight, at that moment, Nathalie was nothing more and nothing less than a dead woman.

He ran knowing that an attack could come at any moment, knowing that she was one of the most powerful witches, knowing that there was something special about her that might have made her invincible, but he also run knowing that he loved Marinette more than anyone else and that he could not live in this word if he did not keep his promise.  

There was no explosion or smoke curtain, but when he caught Nathalie a wave of electric thunders took over Adrien, but he did not pull away. He had her in his hands, now he just had to kill her.

“Adrien, your fa—”

“Is my father the only thing you ever talk about?” Adrien asked angry, tightening his hold around her neck as she shook her body and pushed him away with her hands.  

“Adrien please,” She begged. A power was forming on her hands, and as a precaution, Adrien bit her wrist, pulling skiing and flesh. He wasn’t fast enough with the other hand and he was pushed back by a little electric explosion.

Nathalie stood up and started running.  

“Adrien!” Chloé called his name from the roof, “Let’s try this bitch out!” Adrien let himself get distracted for a second and looked up. There was no way Nathalie could run faster than him, not hurt at least. Witches needed both of their hands to be completely efficient.

The feisty blonde was pulling her whip up, a knight hanging from it by his neck, but that was not what Chloé wanted him to see, what was important was in her other hand. She swirled a sparkling silver object around and Adrien smiled triumphally. _The ruthenium knife_.

Adrien nodded and started following Nathalie. He heard Chloé drop the soldier down and moving through the ceiling.  

“Now!” He ordered.

Chloé dropped the knife in his direction. Adrien caught it and swirled in the air. Chloé let herself fall and landed by his side, tossing her arm back and then forwards, sending her whip to catch the witch.

Adrien started running faster than Chloé, following the whip’s trajectory, the dark glittery leather was about to wrap around Nathalie’s ankle. When it did, Chloé held the whip with both hands and pulled, Nathalie stumbled.

Without missing a beat, Adrien jumped to fall on top of her, reached for her healthy and pushed it above her head, restricting her. With his free hand, he swirled the knife just like Chloé had done it and pointed the sharp blade to Nathalie’s neck.

 “This is for hurting my princess.” Adrien said between clenched teeth, “Not the smartest move, Nath.”

He pierced the skin of her neck with the table knife with all his strength, pulling and hitting again many, many times, as fast as he could. Nathalie didn’t scream, her expression didn’t change, and she did not bleed. Adrien stabbed her at least six times and blood was not splattering on his face, in fact, it didn’t smell like blood at all. And it had been so easy to catch her… _something wasn’t right._

Adrien kept stabbing and stabbing as he exanimated her body, and then a little blue feather made of silver, emerald and sapphire called his attention.

Adrien pulled the brooch away of her and a spark jumped. The brooch changed into a golden necklace, and Nathalie was not Nathalie anymore. In front of him, lied the zombie they had used to free Marinette of the cells.

“I fucking hate her,” Chloé hissed behind him.

Adrien shared the sentiment, but hate would have to be pushed aside at this moment, because if there was a zombie faking to be Nathalie, then she knew what they were about to do.

And if Sancoeur wasn’t here, she was after Marinette right now.

  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm kind of sorry this did not live up to the killing spree i promised lol, i was just reviewing the plots i need to answer for this part of the series and if i killed nathalie now a lot of things would not make sense :( but hey, our cat boy is disappointed too, you aint the only ones! 
> 
> i don't know when i'll post next part, it all depends on how im feeling :I  
> but whoa, next chapter is like the last one! i mean, im planning on doing 31 some sort of an epilogue so yeah, whoa! can you believe? i surely can't lol
> 
>  
> 
> hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> tumblr: buginettez (it's new! bc i had so much trouble i had to remake, so if you followed me before, you might not follow me now)


	30. trick pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> trick: a cunning act or scheme intended to deceive or outwit someone.  
> :D 
> 
>  
> 
> i divided the chapter bc i felt it would be easier to read this way xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM BACK IM SORRY LIFE HAPPENS AND THIS STORY IS FULL OF PLOT SO I DIDN'T WANT ANYTHING BEHIND.

Marinette was starting to worry.

She was worried before, but every minute that passed without having Adrien back made her get a little bit more stressed.

Adrien was taking his sweet time, jeopardizing the plan at the expenses of whatever “important” thing he was supposed to be doing.

They didn’t want to start the attack to the palace without him, but if he didn’t appear soon there was really no other choice.

Different groups of _Der Hankÿer_ were surrounding the palace, the castle towers and the paths between the mountains around the back of the palace. She was part of the group hiding inside.

Marinette and Kagami had run through the hallways until they reached the dining room on the west wing and were joined by Nino moments later after they arrived. Once the clock stroke 2 am, they would be on their way to help the attack, leading on the first line as the rebellion caused chaos around.

There were only two minutes left to 2 am, the clock at the end of the room couldn’t help but remind her. Two minutes and they would leave the calm behind and go chase trouble.

The room where senators and ministers met was only three rooms away and it was their job to get them out of there. The ones who wanted to join them were going to be walked to one of the groups of the opposition, the ones that didn’t cooperate would be chained with Marinette’s magic.

It wasn’t going to be easy, there were at least thirty vampires, smart and powerful members of the government inside and they would not go down without a fight.

Nino felt confident, they were older and had spent years behind a desk, they weren’t as agile as they had been once, but Kagami disagreed. So, did Marinette once she heard her logic.

Nino was the head of the army, he was great at strategy, but he only knew the battlefield, he has never been on a fight that didn’t involve non-military people. Kagami on the other hand gave sword and self-defense classes to the nobles, and she knew a thing or two of how weak and rusty people could change the game to their advantage.

It was just like Marinette said, being powerful wasn’t enough, you also had to be resourceful.

The ticking of the clock started to run faster, matching Marinette’s heartbeat.

“Gabriel has barely shown up at the last meetings, it’s been _all_ Adrien. But, since Adrien has been back, Gabriel doesn’t trust him, so, I don’t know what to expect.” Kagami said.

“I doubt he’ll be there,” Nino answered, “But if we create ruckus at the meeting, he’ll realize something is wrong, he’ll be afraid and will try to escape. That’s when our dear kitsune will help us.”

“Alya is here?” Marinette’s eyes popped open with surprise.

“Not physically but she is keeping an eye on the palace _and_ Gabriel.” Nino smiled, “I went to his dispatch to give him an ‘advance’ on Adrien’s situation. He is losing his mind. I used it to my advantage, of course, and tricked him with words. I told him that if Marinette had been able to throw a spell on Adrien it was better if he took precautions. I gave him one of the protection pearls Nathalie gives the army when we go in missions, however, this wasn’t a simple pearl. Alya was able to break it and push away the magic to another one, which left this pearl powerless. We poured it with holy water and Alya marked it, which means that once Gabriel activates it -which I’m sure he will once we attack the senate- Alya will be able to track him all around the palace since I sprinkled it with holy water a few days ago,”

“That’s genius!” Marinette and Kagami said at the unison.

“Well,  _I’m_ a genius.”

Marinette laughed. Kagami rolled her eyes.

“Nette,” Nino said and pointed at the clock.

Marinette sulked. Adrien didn’t make it back.

“It’s time.”

“I know.” She sighed and touched her earrings to reassure herself. “Let’s go.”

**xx**

Adrien and Chloé were running down the stairs and into the hallways. If zombie-Nathalie had been able to throw a simple magic spell, it meant that the real Nathalie wasn’t so far.

The wrath he felt before towards her had only increased after the number she had pulled on him.

Boots and heels clashed against the cobblestones of the garden on the west wing, as the vampires took a shortcut to where they thought Nathalie could have headed. They couldn’t smell her anywhere so their gut was their only friend right now.

Chloé was quiet, a rarity to her usual talkative and whining self, but after the fight they had and the disappointment they encountered, her sight did not leave the bracelet on her left hand, waiting for her girlfriend to send her a sign.

Adrien was awfully worried too and looked at her bracelet once in a while too. Kagami was with Marinette and the bracelet was the only thing that could connect them with her right now, that could warn them.

The palace was silent, which was reassuring. If the chaos hadn’t started yet, they had more chances to get to their friends quickly and help them, protect Marinette from Nathalie and win the battle.

“Should we really be going for Nathalie?” Chloé asked in the middle of a cough, “Wouldn’t be better to help them get your father?”

“My father is not a threat, not if he doesn’t have Nathalie. Getting rid of her is the smartest thing we can do,”

“It is also the hardest. She is more powerful than we’ll ever be,”

“I’ll have to disagree,”

“C’mon, Adrien!” Chloé rolled her eyes, “If she is able to overthrown Marinette, we don’t stand a chance.”

“We got the ruthenium, we’re on advantage here,”

“That’s only if we manage to stab her and only _if_ my theory is correct,”

“Marinette believes it is.”

“ _Believes_ is the keyword. If you’re not going to--”

The buzzing sound of an unknown object flew through the hallway distracted them. Whatever that object had been it had smelled familiar.

Adrien and Chloé shared a knowing look and shifted their path to the left corridor. Running as fast as the heavy sound of their shoes allowed them to go unnoticed, they started to see a green light glowing in the distance.

Adrien bit the air, he was impatient and angry. If Nathalie wasn’t there, he was only losing his time and the other’s, he was putting Marinette at risk.

And then, the smell hit.

A smirk drew on Adrien’s lips and Chloé’s sharp gasp echoed in the room.

“Adrien wai--”

Adrien didn’t think, he just ran towards her.

He jumped and swirled in the air, commanding his body to land over her robs, to make her fall.

From his peripheral vision, he saw Chloé jumping to the walls and to the roof, taking the whip out of her belt and directing it to him.

The gold and leather weapon circled his leg and squeezed it, then he was pulled back to where she was.

Adrien opened his mouth to complain when lighting brushed his forehead and burned a piece of his hair. His eyes opened wide as he fell beside Chloé.

“Idiot.” She hissed.

Adrien looked in front of them, Nathalie displayed an amused expression on her face, a rarity since she never let her emotions be seen.

Adrien growled under his breath and stood up again. Ready to run and attack, he took his sword and swung it.

There was a loud _“clack”_ and a curtain of blue and green smoke started to surround them.

Adrien coughed and closed his eyes, trusting his hearing to start moving forward. He could _not_ let Nathalie escape.

“Adrien, we need a plan!” Chloé pulled him by his jacket.

“There’s no time!”

“She is more powerful than we are, there’s always time for a plan when the circumstances are not in your favor!”

“Okay, okay!” Adrien shouted, “I got one!”

“Don’t you dare say—

“Follow my lead!”

“Asshole!”

Adrien climbed the wall and hung off the roof, watching from above how the shadows formed between the smoke, looking for Nathalie.

Her figure wasn’t hard to find, she was svelte and her aura was strong to inadvertent but the more he looked the more shadows appeared that could be confused by her once he entered the curtain of colored smoke.  

_Undead._

The army that followed her everywhere, the army that for sure wasn’t going to be as weak as the group that had attacked him before. They looked different, they looked terrifying as they usually had. These were her real alleys, the ones before had only been a pathetic distraction.

“I’ll take care of this! Go after her!” Chloé ordered, popping at his sides. Her eyes were shining with anticipation and her whip was moving in circles at her side.  

“But—

“Bloody hell, if you have a plan I’ll listen but if you don’t then you do as _I_ say!”

Her voice made his body tremble with more fear than Nathalie did right now, he was not going to get her more angry by any means.  

Adrien nodded and focused on the floor again. He recognized a few objects, closed his eyes tightly and opened them again instantly whispering words so they would move out of the way. That would catch the attention of the undead.

A few bodies ran towards them, fading the smoke and making it easier to see, and as a consequence to find Nathalie again, who was trying to leave the room as slow as possible, most probably so she wouldn’t disturb the fumes.

Adrien smiled pleased.

He took impulse and jumped at the other side of the room, above the smoke that still not reached the highest peaks of the ceiling, not leaving Nathalie’s sight. She would try to float to her next destiny, but he was not going to let her go far.

Adrien threw the sword to his back to be ready. The swift sharp move was accompanied by the sound of the blade cutting the air. He twirled it around on his hand a little as he landed back on the floor, getting to scratch the middle of Nathalie’s right ear.

She hissed and the loss of concentration made her stagger in the air, giving Adrien another chance to attack. This time he aimed at her arm and rib cage.

Nathalie didn’t let him.

She threw blue lighting that Adrien dodged but made him stop running. She took that moment to get out of the room.

Adrien gave one look back to Chloé checking on her. And left when he confirmed she was okay, smashing undead heads and throwing them across the room.

Adrien left the room and used his nose to follow Nathalie. She could be fast but he was determined.

“C’mon, Nath,” He said when he caught her shadow. “Let’s not make this hard. I know you don’t want to hurt me!”

Maybe teasing her wasn’t the right way to go, or so he thought when the floor shook beneath him. The mosaic decorated floor started to move and formed a big crack on the hallway.

“Unfair!” Adrien shouted as he sprung to the window to climb over the walls. It could slow him down but it was better than falling and landing on the darkest parts of the palace.

But the decision had come more useful than he initially thought. Looking through the window, he saw Nathalie at the end of the corridor, turning to her right. That path only took her to a bunch of stairs. Stairs that would lead her to the rooftop.

Of course, she was! By being outside it would be harder to catch her smell. However, she wasn’t in luck.

Adrien smashed the crystal and climbed to the rooftop.

“Very good for a guy without a plan, uh?” He asked if only Chloé was here.

If only Plagg was here! He would have liked that change of faith.

“Where are you, bratty demon?” Adrien whispered and looked around.

It would also be nice to have him here in case he needed to use his skills.

But for now, he would have to do it all on his own.

Adrien ran and hid behind one of the pointy ends of a tower, and waited.

Nathalie didn’t disappoint, she floated above the tiles only moments after. It was clear that she couldn’t leave the castle, she had to protect the King. But there was no hurt by standing on the midnight air and camouflage your scent with the ones of nature.

An almost perfect plan.

Adrien firmly pressed his sword and jumped to attack.

Nathalie did not expect it and he saw, for the first time ever, fear on her eyes.

The heavy sword swung and cut the air and also the witch’s arm. Adrien didn’t hold back if he wanted to win he wouldn't hesitate, he just had to act.

Three more moves of his sword went, one to her legs, the second to her face and the last one back in her arm.

There were not screams but he was retributed with a blast coming out of her hands. It hit him on the ribs, throwing him off balance but by moving his sword he managed to bring his body back forwards and shifted his feet in a more comfortable position.

Nathalie attacked again, and so did he.

Her magic attacks bounced on his sword. The fire remained on the iron but Adrien kept moving and jumping, making himself a hard target.

The wounds he had inflicted on her had been deep and he could smell the dripping blood. This was slowing her down a bit, which was making it easier to move around.

Adrien was getting tired, and he knew that at some point he would have to stop defending himself and start to attack again. Nonetheless, he didn’t know how.

It was the moment to accept that Chloé’s obsession with plans was not so crazy after all. He would never tell her this, of course.

His sword has just received the hit of a thunder, it reflected the light and something shone in Nathalie’s belt.

The belt!

While his friends and he used their belt to carry their weapons, Marinette used one to carry objects, minerals, and herbs that could help her potentiate her powers. Nathalie had to have a similar belt too.

That was his next target.

Again, nothing bad for a guy without a previous plan, improvisation was the best!

Clouds were appearing around him, Nathalie’s hands glowed in the deepest blue and he knew something big was coming.

The smell of cypress, blood and humidity mixed with a well-known perfume. Screams echoed through the air and a blonde girl jumped on the tiles, followed by a few pale, squeletic bodies.

Nathalie smiled and Adrien took the chance to use this little moment of confidence she had to his own benefit.

He ran to Chloé, and threw his sword in her direction. Then make an acrobatic jump to go back to Sancoeur and kicked her back.

He doesn’t give her a chance to balance.

Chloé, always so efficient, has already caught the sword with his whip and throwing it back. Adrien moves to the side and lets the heavy iron hit Nathalie in her head.

He takes the sword, and plunges it on the tiles, catching her cloak, so when she tries to walk away, she is pulled back and falls.

Nathalie hit the floor, her head bounced back a few times. She growled, both angry and in pain.

With his sword forgotten and rage impulsing his moves, Adrien put one leg at each side of her and reached for the small knife on his belt. It was usually his last resource, the knife was sharp and damaging but he had to be too close to use it. Right now, however, it was the best choice. He wanted to be close, he wanted her to suffer.

Consumed on vengeance, Adrien only focused on her face, waiting to see the fear shadow her eyes. If Chloé had not been there, who knew what would have happened.

“Adrien, her hand!” Chloé shouted.

He realized her arm moving towards him, sparks already flying around.

Too late to stop her.

Nathalie threw the spell at him, but Adrien didn’t let her win.

He let go of her, rolled on the ground and dodged the spell at the right time, getting back on his feet and running towards her once again. If she thought he was going to give up, she was wrong.  

Knife on hand, fast and clashing against her, he aimed for her stomach and stabbed her. Nathalie let out a small shout as he pulled away, but that was not what he concentrated on. As his hand flew back, his skin brushed against something cold and metallic that gave up a tingling sensation surrounded by power.

He didn’t know what it was but if it was in Nathalie’s belt, it was _valuable_. That’s why changing the knife to the other hand, he came back to grasp this powerful weapon.

Adrien was putting up a fight, but so was Nathalie. When the prince’s hand grabbed the leather of the felt, she shouted with rage and wrapped her hand around him.

A red circle formed around him and he burned. The smell of calcined skin went up to his nostrils. The pain rumbled around his body.

It was the first real attack, the first spell that could _actually_ hurt him, the first attack that made him feel real pain. The spells before had only meant to push him away, and the ones the zombies had been programmed to toss were just to win Nathalie some time.

She had never aimed to hurt him -that wouldn’t sit well with Gabriel- but everyone had a limit, and this weapon was.

That meant only one thing. Whatever that weapon was, he _needed_ to take it.

Adrien tried to compel objects around them, so he could throw them at Nathalie, but she was holding control over everything. Adrien was powerful, but he wasn’t a warlock.

The ring burned on his hand but as helpful as Plagg could be on this situation, calling for him would expose Adrien’s new abilities, taking away the element of surprise that he was sure would need later on.

If he could not call for the weapons, or ask for Plagg’s help, then he would have to take care of it in an old-fashioned way.

Adrien jumped back and slid on the purple ceramic tiles of the room, leaning down in the way to catch his sword and go back to action.

He swung the sword and cut the rope, one scratch on top of the belt. Nathalie didn’t dodge, and her spells were not coming as fast and strong as he knew they could come, and this didn’t have to do with her wounds.

It was inexplicable, except that Chloé was here now. Chloé who had the ruthenium knife, and she was at a short distance fighting.  

It had to be the ruthenium.

“Chlo!” He called.

The girl didn’t listen, she was caught up on the battle. many _undead_ had fallen to her mighty skills and whip, but she could not put her guard down.

Adrien would have to keep facing Nathalie alone until Chloé finished.

His hand reached for her neck, and he pressed his legs around her waist to restring her moves. Adrien dug his nails on her neck and started to choke her.

The fire burned under his skin, Nathalie was still putting on a strong fight, but Adrien wasn’t giving up. His skin was burning and he felt the pain rushing through his veins, but those wounds would be nothing his incredibly powerful girlfriend couldn’t fix.

Using his free hand, he bit into his hand, not sucking blood but only letting drops of his venom fall, then, when he thought it was enough he pressed it over Nathalie’s skin.

“ _Pain,_ ” He whispered and a scream came out of Nathalie’s mouth.

He swore he would never use his venom to hurt anyone, but he had lost all respect he once felt for Nathalie, he was nothing to him anymore.

The burns were starting to get past his skin, and he felt it deep inside his body. His vision was blurry and a disgusting flavor sat on his mouth. It was time to make it even harder for her to throw spells.

It was a fast thought and a faster move, Nathalie went unaware of what he was doing until it was too late.

Adrien dug a knife he took off his belt on her hand and the witch let out a scream of pure sorrow.

“I did give you the chance to make this easier,” Adrien said.

He let the knife fall at their side as the woman contorted under him and reached for the belt on her waist, tearing up one of the daggers and grabbing it by its handle.

The black and crystal weapon glowed in his hand.

It was a fine piece, carefully crafted, he would have loved to admire it more if he had not recognized remains of Marinette’s blood inside of it.  

Rage settled down on his stomach, distracting him. Once again his emotions became an obstacle. He was immersed on his anger, in the thoughts of revenge and as he did the witch acted,

Adrien was hit, and he found himself lying with his back against the hard tiles.

Nathalie was now on top of him, reaching to take back her weapon.

Adrien bent his knee and hit her stomach.

Nathalie flinched and twisted at his side, letting go of everything. The dagger flying through the air and falling only a few meters beside them.

Losing no time, he crawled in its direction, but Nathalie did too.

They reached for the dagger and ended up touching it at the same time.

Adrien felt electric waves on his body, hurting him.

The witch hissed and screamed.

He wiggled his fingers feeling the change of energy around them but feared to look in case he missed Nathalie’s moves.

Adrien bent his knees, pressed his hands on the ground and rolled away, in the process, he pulled of Nathalie’s robs and dragged her away.

He did not go far, because she resisted him, using the rob to bring him to her, still without letting go of the weapon.

It was an intense fight of push and pull.

The Kingslayer took another thing from her belt, Adrien didn’t see it but he felt it on his right arm. It was cold like he imagined the deepest corners of the pandemonium to be and it paralyzed him.

Nathalie took the chance and got on top of him once again. Glowing energy start to take shape on her hand.

Adrien bit his lip, repressing the scream his body begged him to let out.

The thought of death felt incredibly sweet right now. He was out of Nathalie’s mercy list, and he was about to suffer greater pains than a mortal could ever have.

A keen sound changed his attention focus and he saw, in the middle space between their bodies, a swift blurry line crossing, and a moment after it disappeared a red string falling from Nathalie’s face.

It splashed on his face and Nathalie flinched back, bringing her hand to her cheek as she howled.

Chloé’s heels did a funny sound against the tiles as she ran to them. She was so fast and her moves were so well thought that not Adrien nor Nathalie knew what she was about to do, but when she did, Adrien couldn’t help but smile as he looked her above them in all her glory.

Chloé landed behind Nathalie and hit her right under her left scapula. Between her fist, a hint of silver sparkled. And if that had not been enough clue, Nathalie’s agony was enough to figure out what Chloé had done.

Nathalie stumbled on her feet and tried to pull away from Chloé, who was pushing the knife inside her body as hard as she could.

Nathalie threw a spell, it was weak but it made Chloé step away. It also made her loose grip of the dagger and her body, rolling down the roof tiles, to another tower.

Adrien reached for the dagger, but let Nathalie fall.

He looked up and gasped relieved.

Chloé was still above him, a victorious smile on her face as she stared at him. Then, she offered a hand and helped him go back to the top of the roof of the palace.

“Thank you,” Adrien said, throwing himself to her arms.

“Don’t do that again,” Chloé growled.

“I had to,” He gasped, “You know I had to. Also, aren’t you proud? I put on a good fight.”

“Just because you were lucky,”  
“C’mon!” Adrien threw his head back and pouted, “Just admit I did a good job,”

“She was obviously distracted, and knows Gabriel loves you; if not you would be cut in pieces by now.”

“Chloé,” He fluttered his lashes at her and tilted his head softly, “Say I did a good job, it won’t kill you,”

“I cannot believe I’m making you King,” Chloé rubbed her forehead and looked back dejected, “Okay, yes, Adrien you did a go--

Adrien wasn’t able to hear the words he so annoyingly had asked Chloé since she was interrupted by the sound of sparkling fire and later on a firework show above them with a shooting star dashing on the night.

Running to the edge of the roof, they looked down, to the tower Nathalie had landed, to the tower that was empty now.

Nathalie, somehow, had escaped.

It was more surprising that it should have been.

Chloé crooked a brow at him, “You did a medium job,”

Adrien growled.

“Okay she is gone, it wasn’t going to be that easy! But I got the weapon.”

“Where is it now?”

“Uh…”

Chloé threw her hands in the air exasperated.

“Stop being so mean to me.”

“Stop being an idiot,” She kicked the tiles with the pointy part of her heel, took his hand and pulled him back to the place he had been fighting where a lonely dagger shone under the moonlight.

“Here,” Chloé kneeled down to pick it up but jerked away instantly.

“Bloody hell!” She shouted. “Oh, damn, it hurts.”

Adrien narrowed his eyes as he kneeled next to Chloé.

She held her hand close to her chest and tears pickled off her eyes.

He reached for the dagger, fear crawling on his skin as he was near its handle. Nothing had happened to him before, but Chloé looked seriously hurt.

He kept his eyes on Chloé the whole time as he grasped the weapon.

Nothing happened to him, making him smile.

Then an acute scream escaped Chloé’s mouth. “ _Bloody hell!_ ”

“Bloo- what the hell?” He said, covering one of his ears.

She pointed at him.

“What?!” He looked back to the dagger and saw what had impressed his friend.

Adrien’s hands had claws and turned black, but Plagg was nowhere in sight.

He dropped the weapon and his hands came back to normal. Chloé, as an instinct tried to catch it mid-air, but because of the pain, she dropped it. The weapon clashed through the tiles, something that would have probably broken the crystal in normal circumstances, but this dagger had proven to be special and it remained immaculate.  

“Bloody hell…

“Yes, that’s what I said!” Chloé clenched her hands in fists “What—”

“I don’t know.” He cut and with the dagger back in hand he moved it around to analyze it.

“It doesn't hurt you!”  
“I can see.” Adrien frowned.

“Why?”

“I said already that I don’t know.” Adrien stood up and helped Chloé back on her feet.

He put the dagger on his belt and covered it with his torn blazer.

“This is so bizarre,” Chloé said.

“Yeah, and because of that we’ll forget about it for now,” Adrien put one finger up.

“On what else should we fucking focus?!”

“Nathalie,” He simply said. “She escaped, and yeah it _sucks_ , but you were right about one thing, Chlo. The dagger cannot be ruthenium, it did nothing to Nathalie, but your knife did. By the way, how deep did you pierce that knife?”

“Deep,” Chloé said, “She’s still moving and throwing magic tho…”

“Yes,” Adrien sighed, “But she won’t be able to take that blade out by herself, and the palace is already filled with our army, everyone will be more preoccupied with that than with Nathalie. We’re on advantage here.”

“We are. Your words say one thing, but your eyes say another. What is worrying you?”

“I failed, I had to kill Nathalie and I did not. Is reassuring that she is not at her peak but can’t lose more time. Marinette is powerful and brave, and everything we need to win but… she is traumatized. I know she can fight it, but it’s better if we take care of this ourselves. And we have a dagger that you can’t touch, and while I can it brings my curse back.”

“Let’s go then, let’s help and see if we can gather the information we need,” Chloé said

Adrien nodded. “Yeah. Guide us, Chlo.”

“You want me to guide you?” Chloé asked with genuine surprise.

“You’ve been doing it for a while now.

“Yeah but you’re never that sweet about it.”  
“Well, after tonight I have no reason to doubt you, you were incredible. We make a good team.”

“I guess we do,” Chloé shrugged and smiled smug, “It was kinda cool, however, I missed Mimi. There’s nothing like fighting with her.”

“Well, that’s not fair I can’t compete with that. You two are a pair made in heaven,” Adrien chuckled.

Chloé put on a bright smile.

And both started running to find the perfect place to sneak back into the palace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgive me i just love writing adrien and chloé fighting, and they had to finish their quest :)  
> next time there will be more marinette, i promise.  
> the next part is the last chapter :(  
> then ch. 32 is an epilogue ! 
> 
> if you like this story and want more, i turned it into an original story, so many things of what you already read are still there but i changed and added so many things. so if you're interested i would really love for yall to meet kayrielle (nette) and ahrdän (adrien) :) here is the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18332558/chapters/43398863
> 
> find me on tumblr: buginettez


	31. trick pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> trick: a cunning act or scheme intended to deceive or outwit someone.  
> a trick is also a clever way of doing something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these are 10k+ words  
> which means a whole scene was deleted bc it would be WAYY too much  
> you'll see it next chapter with the epilogue c:

 

Most of Marinette’s life had been all about hiding and staying away from the battlefront so when her group told her to stay away until it was safe, she accepted without complaining. But as she heard the screams, the sound of swords clashing together, running steps and breaking glass, she wanted to be there. 

She wanted to help. However, without knowing where Sancoeur could be and if she was still tracking her, any use of her magic in battle would be a big light into the night and that could cost them everything. 

Standing outside casting an easy yet useful locking spell on the door, she could hear all the battle enduring inside of the Senator’s room. The tables breaking, the people screaming, Kagami and Alix were laughing maniacally while they fought together, and Nino shouted, exasperated with them. 

It was frustrating to be so close to the action, to be able to help just by opening the door, and not doing it. 

The crash of a window made her jolt on her spot and turn her head to the left and when she did, only a few meters away from her, on the crossing corridor she saw a tall and skinny man running. Telling by the way he was moving, he wasn’t used to running for his life. With that and the glimpse of white hair and gold on top of his head, she recognized him.

_ The Vampire King.  _

Marinette felt the smile forming on her lips. 

Forget the door, the whole army inside was doing okay without her. Now she had found a way to make herself useful. Besides that, she also had personal business to attend with the King. 

Marinette twisted her hand on top of the knob and charmed it to open only by Kagami or Nino’s command. The magic was louder than what could have been preferable with the Kingslayer going around, but if Sancouer was indeed tracking her she would stop here and find a big group of vampires ready to fight her, and Marinette would have been long gone. 

Without looking back or letting a clue of her next move, Marinette sprung on the hallway and followed the route the King had taken. 

As she ran, she invoked Tikki to come to her. She didn’t let her speak, whine or advice her, she called for her inside her earrings immediately and her wings appeared on her back. 

Now she was stronger, and demon magic would help to camouflage her own for a while. 

Vampires were among the fastest creatures on the realms, only compared with goblins, nyxs, and sirens but with her wings, Marinette was able to catch up the King quite easily. Also, as she had realized before, Adrien’s father was not on his best physical condition, he did have trouble running. 

He wasn’t looking back or giving any signs that his advanced senses had caught her presence, which helped Marinette’s case but it wasn’t the time to act. There was nothing powerful enough to use to fight him, and she was still unaware of his powers. There were rumors that the Agreste lineage had mysterious and great powers in their blood. However, these rumors had never been proved, the only reason she was choosing to be careful was because of Adrien. He had managed to compel her once, and he hadn’t been in his real form, he also had compelled objects, which was an outstandingly rare thing for vampires to do. Marinette doubted all the power had been inherited, it seemed like it was unique to him, but there was always the uncertainty. 

She had to wait till the King guided her to a better more open space and if she remembered Adrien’s words right and the messy drawings he had tried to do to describe her the palace a few days back, then they were close to the greenhouse. 

With the lack of soldiers and knights running through the palace, all thanks to Nino, it was easy to move and not worry about who could be behind you. It was most probably the reason why the King was running. 

Marinette wondered where he had been and what he had seen to make him run like that. Had he realized they were coming to get him? What had scared him that way? He never looked afraid, or at least Marinette never imagined him fearing something before, the thought had subtly vanished when she saw how frightened he had been when the mere thought of Adrien falling in love with a witch, and most specifically, the Witch of Creation. It had been all over his eyes, on the frown of his forehead, and the gritting of his teeth. All little details that she could recollect now, and use to her own advantage. 

Why was he so afraid?

What had changed?

Hopefully, she would be able to figure out before catching him, she could use that kind of information, but if she did not, then she would have to improvise. Or better, make herself frightening in his eyes. 

The last option tasted like sweet berries on her tongue. To see him crumble and shake at the sight of her would be a great first step for her revenge. 

When the King crossed the doors of the glasshouse, Marinette started flying faster. 

Using her enhanced hearing she flew over the plants and stairs and followed his steps. 

Analyzing the whole panorama, she saw exactly what she had hoped to find between all the plants. Adrien had said that they had a million species of flora from all over the Dark Kingdoms, the Far Lands and the Cliff Realms so it was not surprising that they had  _ Espidurí _ bindweeds.

They only grew in cold weather, naturally only on the south side of the Cliff Realms, but Kertáh’s weather was a great substitute. How thankful she was for that. 

Marinette floated in one spot for several seconds, watching her enemy push and avoid branches and poisonous flowers, trying to figure out his trajectory.

His pace was slower now, and he looked relieved. 

_ How naive.  _

Marinette put her index and middle finger together, closed one eye and aimed. 

Striking lighting burned pieces of the King’s hair and his skin. The piercing screaming that escaped of his lips made her smile in delight, just as him changing directions and going closer to the bindweeds did. 

Beneath her skin, warm energy rushed through, and Marinette let herself fall to the ground just at the moment the Vampire King took the final step, falling into her trap. 

The with opened both of her hands, extending her fingers and clicked her tongue. Without objection, the plants responded to her. They lift from the ground, swirled in the air and wrapped around the King’s body.

Seeing the purplish vines wrap her enemy made her even more excited. Purple had been a color she had learned to hate, the coat of arms of the Agreste’s always shone vividly in all of her nightmares, and now he was chained in it. 

“Are you leaving us so soon, Mr. Agreste?” Marinette said with a playful tone filled with poison. 

She had never addressed him by name, he had always been the King to her, the reason of her horrible faith, but if she used his title, it would only give him power, and he was not the one in control now. 

He didn’t answer. His eyes showed how surprised he was. 

“I must say you’ve disappointed me. In none of my nightmares, I would have pictured you as a coward, but well here we are. Life is full of surprises,”

He chuckled. 

“I see you’ve caught my son’s antics. Adrien, Adrien, Adrien, he sure loves to talk!”

Marinette curled her fingers and the vines followed her motion, wrapping tighter around his neck. 

Mr. Agreste inhaled sharply, a wheeze echoed in the room. 

“Yeah, he’s taught me a thing or two. Is what lovers do,” She smiled proudly, well aware that the man was still holding up to the possibility of Adrien being under an enchantment. 

Something unexpected happened in return. 

He  _ laughed _ . That threw her off balance. 

“So, so naive.” The man purred, and it felt all kinds of wrong. 

Unable to come up with another sassy line, she ordered the vines to go harder on him. 

Mr. Agreste gasped desperately for air and when Marinette eased the hold on the vines, he burst into coughs, splattering blood all over her. 

As disgusting as it was, Marinette smiled. 

Cleaning her cheek with one sleeve, she looked at the silver stains. 

Her eyes popped up. 

_ Silver blood. _

The Agrestes and the Bourgeois were  _ known  _ for their silver blood.

Adrien had never bled silver, had he? 

No, she would have noticed. 

What did this mean? 

Another cough and splattered blood made that thought disappear. It wasn’t the time to worry about that.

Looking at the man that had turned her life into a boring miserable solitude made her boil. One more time she curled her hands and the plant, growing its thorns pierced all over the King’s body. 

Marinette wasn’t aware if he had gone through mortalization, but it didn’t matter, he could still suffer. 

Sharp laughs came out of his throat. He shot her one crazy look. 

“Marinette, Marinette, Marinette,” She hated how he said her name. “Oh, lovely Marinette, let’s stop this. You and I both know you’re not getting away with this.”

“The circumstances say otherwise.”

“Do they, Nette?” The expression he made was so similar to Adrien’s, and the way his voice sounded was just like her boyfriend’s too. She felt like puking. “Let’s stop this game, we can make things easy. I can make things easier for you, sweetie. Just give me what I want and I promise not to hurt you badly. We can both have fun and-

Marinette felt a tingle under her skin and liquid warm pouring on her head. That’s how she knew. 

She cut all visual contact with him and growled. 

“Did you really try to compel me?” Marinette asked amused. Only Adrien had been able to compel her without her realizing, but Adrien was a prodigy of the ability “ _ So, so naive _ .”

Agreste laughed joyfully. 

“Oh, you sure are amusing, I can tell why my dumb son could have fallen for you,” Silver leaked through his lips and his eyes started to fade slowly to black. “Maybe I’ll keep you after all.”

Marinette gagged. 

“You’re rather amusing, however, this is nothing but a facade,” His eyes narrowed, looking her so very close that she felt completely exposed to him,  “I’ve seen you, I’ve studied you for years. They tell you you’re strong yet you’re nothing but a little girl who was given more power than the one she can handle.”

Marinette turned her hand a bit to the left, the thorns on the stem thickened and they pierced the skin on his neck, close to his jaw. 

Gabriel let out a scream. 

How many times would she have to do that for him to start to respect her?

“Well look at that, it seems like I handle it just fine,” She hissed between clenched teeth. 

“My son compelled you, didn’t he? I’ve always known he is powerful, he takes after me in that, but I never imagined he could trick  _ you _ . Given what you  _ are _ .” 

“He did not such thing,” Marinette smirked. “And if Adrien is powerful that’s on him, you get nothing to be proud of his own skills and achievements.

“I’ve just come to notice that, yes, I despise you with my heart and soul, but I’m not afraid of  _ you _ ,” She gave one step near him “You use other people to get what you want.  _ You _ ’ve never actually hurt me, your power has but your power is nothing against my magic. I could keep you agonizing, begging for mercy for all eternity if I wanted to and you couldn’t do anything about it.”

The King let out a muffled laugh.

“But you don’t have all eternity. You’re just as naïve as my Adrien, I see how it was so easy for you to trick him.”

“When will you accept that the perfect son you created in your mind doesn’t exist? The son you want so dearly to be is not him. He is everything you’re not, he is greater than you are, and as much as you hate it, he fell in love with a witch. Adrien chose  _ me _ and betrayed  _ you _ .” The last part was said in a singsong voice. 

A flash of blue light caught Marinette’s attention. Something she would have not been able to notice without Tikki in her earrings. 

She looked down. 

A circled glowed under Mr. Agreste’s shirt. 

“For Saint A-”

A crash of shattered glass echoed and crystal poured down like rain and hail. 

Marinette put her hands up to protect herself, casting a shield spell over her head, but before it could form a swift sound crossed in the thin air, and then scorching metal wrapped around her arm. 

Marinette winced.

This could only mean one thing. 

_ Sancoeur. _

**xx**

When Adrien and Chloé made it back to the palace hallways, the first person they encountered was Kagami. 

Chloé lost no time and ran to wrap her arms around her girlfriend. 

Adrien ran for a different reason. The look on Kagami’s face said everything. 

“Where is he?” Adrien asked, pushing an angry Chloé aside. 

“We don’t know, we think he managed to escape while we were fighting some members of the Senate. My father said he  _ was _ here, so…”

Adrien sighed and rubbed his temples.

“Okay, it is not so bad,” Adrien tried to keep calm, “You’re finished here which is good, there are no knights around, another good indicator. We only need to find my father,”

“Yeah,” Kagami said, but there was something hidden in her voice.

Adrien frowned. 

“What is it?”   
“Marinette isn’t around either,” 

“ **_WHAT?!_ ** ”

“She was supposed to be here, safe, helping with just a bit of magic, but she was nowhere to be found when we finished!” Kagami explained, “Alya’s been looking for her but she could be anywhere, we were hoping you could enlighten us,”

“How am I supposed to know? You were in charge! You were supposed to protect her!”   
“I’m not a babysitter! She is an adult!”

“She is in danger!”   
“You left her too!”

“That’s not what-

“Stop!” Chloé said enraged, “Screaming is my thing, you two keep it down.” 

“But-”   
“No buts, sir,” She lifted one finger, “Marinette is gone, so be it. Let’s think where she could be, but let’s be logical about this. She cannot be with Sancoeur, we would already know if she was, after all, she’s been through, I don’t think your girl is going down without a fight.”   
“That’s true,” Nino said approaching, “My guess is that she saw Gabriel and followed him. She was very annoyed that she wasn’t going to be of much help.”

“That’s… a good guess,” Adrien and Kagami said at the same time. 

“Yeah, both of you would have got it too if you weren’t too caught up on the moment, but it’s fine we still love you,” Nino smirked. 

Adrien didn’t find it amusing. Not because they weren’t right, but because of what that suggestion implied it. 

He gave one look at Chloé who was already looking at him and gritted his teeth, fangs flashing and cutting his lower lip. 

“She is not as powerful,” Chloé whispered and with her eyes pointed at the dagger that now hung on Adrien’s belt. 

“It doesn't matter. We need to find her right now.” Adrien said.

“What are you two gossiping about?” Kagami asked. 

“We fought Sancoeur,” They said at the unison.

“So I figured,” The swordswoman smiled brightly, “I wanted to give the bad news before giving my congratulations,”

“There’s nothing to congratulate, Mimi,” Chloé sighed, “She got away,”   
“What? How? I mean how are you here if she got away?”   
“Doesn’t matter, we failed,” Adrien sighed “We might have an advantage but what we have won’t be useful if we don’t find Marinette first. She freezes when Sancoeur is around, she is not on top of her game because she is afraid.”

“Advantage how?” Nino asked

Adrien took the dagger out of his belt, his claws appearing again and turning black, but his hand stayed relatively normal, not as it had been before. 

“We got this and Chloé was right, it is not ruthenium, that does affect Sancoeur.”   
“That’s great!” Nino shouted, “Let’s look for some,”

“We only have Chloé’s silverware knife,” Adrien reminded him.

“Nah, we must have more somewhere,”

“There’s no ruthenium in Kertáh,” Chloé said, “I had to go to the west to get that little tiny knife and it was freaking expensive. It is all we have.”   
“Even if it wasn’t, I’m not losing time searching for it. We need to find Marinette,  _ now _ .”

“I understand your position, but haven’t you learned already that is better to have a plan?”

“My plan is to find Marinette and then analyze the situation!” 

“I’m with him on this one,” Chloé said, avoiding Kagami’s sight. 

“Okay, okay, so how do we do that? We’ve lived in this palace long enough to know how big it is! There’s no sign of her, Gabriel or Nathalie! For all, we know they’re on the outskirts!”

“Maybe I can help,” Plagg said, popping out of nowhere, in the middle of the circle. 

“It was time for you to appear,” Adrien said. 

Nino elbowed Adrien’s ribs. 

He jolted back and looked at him, winning a roll of eyes back. 

“How can you help, little monster?” Adrien asked. 

“I can help you find Marinette,” He said, sounding more serious than he ever had, “It is pretty much the reason why I exist.”   
The four friends looked at each other in wonder. 

“You exist because of Marinette?”

“Because of her and her magic. Yes.” Plagg nodded, “I was made to be the opposite energy for Marinette’s magic,”

“Can you be more specific? I hate how cryptic you can be,”   
“If I could tell you more, I would. I can be a nuisance but I know what is important, I know my mission and respect it even if I hate it at the same time. If I could explain to you everything I would have already. But we are cursed to act under orders.”

“We? I assume you can’t expand on that either,”

“I cannot.”

Adrien growled disappointed. 

“Okay, we’ll try to discuss that later,” Nino said, and putting one hand on top Adrien’s shoulder he encouraged him to keep talking to the little demon.    
“How do we find Marinette?”

“If you use me we will be able to find her quickly. It will you all my abilities, and most of them revolve around her, which will make her find her utterly easy.” 

“Does that mean that I have to be a werecat again?” 

“Yes,” 

_ “Ugh, _ ”

Plagg didn’t explain anything and Adrien was getting used to it.

Nonetheless, he didn’t fail him. The demon said he would be able to find Marinette and he was a hundred percent sure that he had. 

Once Plagg was back inside the ring, and he had changed into his monster form, he closed his eyes and thought of Marinette, as Plagg had told him to. In a matter of seconds, glowing tracks appeared in front of his eyes in shiny glittery red. 

_ Marinette.  _

Without checking back on his friends, he started running. 

**xx**

 

Pieces of glass were digging deeper in her skin, but she didn’t let that stop her. Marinette threw lighting, after the fire, after plant vines in Sancoeur’s direction as she tried to fly away. 

Marinette, as always, was in disadvantage. Fighting her and keep her hold of the King was draining her quickly that she wished. 

But, as afraid as she was to see the kingslayer and fight her again after her last failure, the dark witch’s condition didn’t make her look so fearful as she always did. 

Sancoeur was hurt and tired, she was sweating and there were bruises and blood all over her. Someone had had a good time fighting her and had done much of what Marinette wished she could do to her. Something told her that _someone_ was her lovely, yet vengeful, boyfriend. 

Marinette was flying over the vines, creating a shield of lighting around her and the King. 

What Sancoeur wanted more than to hurt her, was to get Agreste back, and she wasn’t going to give her that satisfaction. 

The snake whip wrapped with more strength around her, but she didn’t let the hurtful poison win. There was something different about the way these weapons were affecting her, it was like they had lost power because they weren’t completely disabling anymore.

Just like Sancoeur wasn’t as threatening anymore. It was surprising how, besides all the difficulties, she was handling herself rather well on battle. 

It was just when Marinette was getting confident when things crumbled down. 

Loud steps came crashing through the room, breaking more glass and crashing branches of the fallen bushes and flowers. 

Marinette gave one look back, catching a glimpse of a tall and known furry monster. 

She smiled to herself and sent a ball of fire directly to Sancoeur’s face. 

She avoided it and Marinette got a blast in return. 

The metal snake around her tightened and finally, the real pain she had felt all those times before in the cell came back. 

Something had brought back all their powerful damage, and with that so had the kingslayer won back her powers, because the burst of smoke and fire that came in Marinette’s direction was able to know her out of her feet. 

She fell back, not being able to catch herself and order her wings to move and fell right into the  _ Episdurí  _ plant. 

Thorns scratched and pierced on her skin and wounds, making her crawl, and the fire only aggravated all her pain. 

“Nette!” She heard Adrien’s scream between all the noise. 

Unable to see because of the blue curtain of smoke she tried to focus on her surroundings just by ear, like she had done before with Mr. Agreste. But the clashing swords, the crashing glass, the sound of things exploding and what sounded like a group of undead made it impossible. 

Marinette opened her hands and lighted them up with two orbs of red light. The curtain of smoke changed colors and shadows started to appear. 

“Adrien!” She shouted back, knowing this could give her away to Sancoeur too, it was still worth the shot. 

Marinette reached for the snake when it started twisting again. But the burning sensation had come back. 

She lost her balance and staggered to the sides, trying to keep herself on her feet, to keep fighting. 

Marinette made the orbs grow on her hands and started fluttering her wings. Maybe if she floated about all of the smoke, she could find a way out. 

The vines were still scratching her, she opened her hands to give them orders again. 

“Oh no,” She whispered before the spell was cast when she realized her focus on the spell before was long gone, and hands gripped her wrists. 

Marinette shouted and let go of the power on her hands, hoping the burst would hurt her enemy. 

But he was faster than she gave him credit and the Vampire King’s fangs pierced the neck of her skin. 

Marinette’s whole body shut down, as well as her magic. 

She tried to fight it, call for her powers, but they didn’t respond. They were there she could feel them, and they hadn’t weakened enough to be useless, not like when she was in the cell with vampire poison all over her and more than a whip draining her strength. The sensation was similar, she would dare to say identical, it was the response of her magic what was odd. 

Marinette tried to scream but one of Mr. Agreste’s hands covered her mouth and pulled her closer to him, pressing her body flush against her. 

His tongue lick on the inflicted wound and he kept sucking. 

His voice rang on her ears but she ignored what he said, too disgusted and scared to try to understand. 

Marinette kept calling her magic, kept jolting and kicking and screaming. Trying to bite him back to be able to whisper more powerful spells, but the more blood he drank the more her body gave up. It already felt languid and her limbs were starting to tingle because of the numbness. 

Marinette elbowed him but he didn’t move. Her arm bounced back and she hit a little bag on her belt, her knuckles hurting more than they should but the pain brought with it an idea.

Pulling her arm back one more time and hitting it repeatedly against the little bag, she also began to shake her hips and pull her legs up, moving the bag from side to side, slipping it open, slowly but successfully.

Mr. Agreste’s grip was tighter and his teeth started to pierce through other spots on her skin. It was sickening but it only gave Marinette more reasons to keep moving, no matter how feeble she was. 

The bag opened with one last hit of her leg, and all the contents on it fell. A bit of fairy dust, three  _ merphenyl _ feathers and all the kitsune crystal balls she hid and took care of so dearly. 

They fell heavy and shattered at the second they hit the cobblestone path. A swirling light came out of it in different shades of oranges. They were so bright that they competed with the colors of the blue smoke. 

Marinette stopped moving and let her body give up for a moment. 

The smell of the king’s cologne made her more nauseous than the loss of blood, and her eyes started to feel heavier. But she didn’t let herself succumb. 

The swirling orange started to disappear and between her lashes, she saw the undefined shape of a familiar person. The big brown curls and the orange dress gave her away. 

She felt the shadow of a smile appearing on her lips and with the strength, she was holding back she opened her mouth and started jolting again. 

When Alya’s furious eyes popped close to her, she shouted. 

“The lake! To the lake, Alya!”  

Full moon or not, the water will be the perfect catalyst for the moonlight, and it would enhance her changes to let go of the King’s hold. 

Marinette did not need confirmation, so when the fiery ball appeared around her and the king, she was ready. Unlike the king who pulled back for a second, and a second what was all that Marinette needed. 

She pushed him away and jumped to the other side of the moving sphere. 

The king gasped for air and hissed at her. 

Marinette put her hands up, the magic started rushing on her hands again and she boosted a strike of fire at him. They might be in this magic compartment together, but her magic or Alya’s wouldn’t hurt her, there was nothing to fear but his fangs, and she was focused enough to keep them as far as she could. 

“Stupid little girl!” He said, trying to lunge over her again. 

She did not let him and struck again. 

_ “Marinette! _ ” Alya’s frightened voice echoed inside the sphere before it collapsed. 

The king fell. Marinette started flying. 

They were outside, the lake only a kilometer or less away.

Marinette looked around, trying to see where the king was falling, hardly keeping herself afloat. The lost blood, the whip around her and the slow come back of her magic weren’t the best combination. 

An uproarious thunder cut through the air, it came from the palace’s direction. 

Marinette turned around, discovering the murderous scene. 

A thousand of undead were around the palace, fighting various members of the resistance, and in the middle of them followed by green and blue flames, there was Adrien. 

Back on his normal shape, running to her, being chased by undead and Sancoeur only meters behind them. 

Kagami and Chloé were around him, swinging sword and whip, kicking and punching undead. 

Adrien was faster than the undead and without having to fight he quickly saw her. Their sights connected and a smile appeared for a second. 

Adrien put his hands up and did a waving motion at her.

“Keep going!” He shouted, and he began to run faster, jumping to avoid trees and any other kind of obstacle. 

Another thunder echoed and this time it was accompanied by lighting. It hit right on her left wing.

_ “Marinette! _ ” 

With no backup plan to keep herself on the air, she fell. 

Marinette put her hands on top of her face and tried to make her body as small as she could, to reduce the impact of the fall.

Instead of meeting cold and dirty ground, she hit bone and flesh. Rolling on top of a warm body. 

Adrien gasped sharply under her. To catch her he must have exceeded his usual speed. 

“Are you okay?” They said at the unison, and then they both nodded. 

Adrien was the first to stand up, took her hand and helped her put herself on her feet. Marinette’s body was too heavy and light at the same time, it was hard to move no matter how hard she tried. 

“Adrien I…”

Adrien’s hand touched her neck, and one fingertip toured the curve of her neck, drawing a line with blood. 

He clenched his jaw and a muscle popped. 

“Oh, how am I going to enjoy to be king,” He simply said and made no more comments about it. 

Adrien wrapped her hand with his and looked at her with wonder in his eyes. 

“La-la-lak-k-ke,” Marinette’s voice was shaky and low, but the order was perfectly heard by him. 

They started running, Adrien dragging her body, her feet not leaving the ground her head bouncing as she became weaker at every new step she gave. 

But Marinette remained strong, she put her eyes on the horizon, where the lake should be and obligated herself to keep going. 

“We’re almost there,” Adrien said not looking at her. 

Sizzling energy brushed against her ear and a pair of teeth perforated her ear, pulling the flesh. 

The agonizing scream pierced through her lips. 

Her wings disappeared, the connection with Tikki was broken and all the demonic energy that had helped her to stay stable dissipated.

“Princess!” Adrien shouted and grabbed her by her hips. 

The wind started to sing around them, a melancholic and suspenseful melody that could only harmonize with death. Marinette knew that because she had heard it before, that night on the roof of Saint Ana. 

Sancoeur appeared on the woods with less splendor that she had done all those years ago, but it was still as frightening. 

Adrien took one step forward and pushed Marinette behind him, taking his sword out of his case and pointing it at the dark witch. 

The trees started to move like they had legs and arranged all around them. 

“I’m not letting her touch you, Nette,” 

His intentions were good but one glimpse at the witch’s eyes and Marinette knew that Adrien’s words weren’t going to mean anything in a few seconds. 

Sancoeur came running with the wind and lightings of all sizes and shades of green hit the trees around them, burning them down. 

“Fucking bitch,” Adrien said under his breath. 

Marinette touched her bleeding ear, the lobe was completely gone and so was her earrings, maybe so was Tikki. There was no way to fix it, there was no way to rely on Tikki to help her contain her magic. 

Marinette gasped. She looked behind her and saw the shore of the lake and then she looked back at Sancoeur. 

She wasn’t floating which was strange, which meant that she was still lacking something to have her full power. 

Marinette put her hand against Adrien’s waist and sighed.  

“I love you,” She whispered, “Can you keep her occupied for a minute,”   
“Marinette, don’t you dare to fucking leave my side, you’re in no condition to run alone.”   
“I love you,” She said again and gave one step backward. 

“Bloody hell,” He growled, “Wait,”

“Adrien-”   
“Right side of my belt, take the knife, no objections,” 

She didn’t object and took the knife out of it. 

It was fancy silverware, but it was a weapon nonetheless. 

With no other word from Adrien and using the little strength she still had on her, she began to run to the lake one more time.

She dragged her feet, she felt the pain on her neck and ear, the strangling and burning sensation of the snake whip that had become so common to her and she brushed them off. She erased the thought of Adrien, the sound of his sword and his screams behind her. 

She only saw the lake. 

The glowing silver looking lake, reflecting all the red spiral trees of the woods, and in the middle the shining moon calling up to her. 

As she strolled she felt as if her body was about to burst from the inside out, the venom of the king was rushing through her veins and doing sick tricks. Her vision was blurry and her thoughts were clouding. 

But it didn’t matter because she was so, so, so close. 

One step, then another and then another and she would be there. 

“Marinette!” Adrien called and then someone threw her off her feet. 

Her head hit the ground and she heard a splash, but it was not her who touched the water, and it wasn’t Adrien who was above her. 

Sancoeur was and she was smiling from ear to ear. 

“Hello, dear,” She said in the snarky tone of hers. The one she had reserved only for her. 

Marinette did not think her twice and with how much Sancoeur underestimated her it wasn’t hard to put the knife up and aim it directly to her eye. 

The dark witch flinched back. 

Marinette used the weight of her body to push herself into the water. 

Only her head was able to submerge but that was enough. The healing power of the moonlight touched her skin and hugged her magic. 

It was still not enough and maybe Marinette knew it before all of this. 

Her body had only kept going because of the magic inside of her, and without a body to hold anymore, the powerful energy was leaking. 

So, Marinette did something she never thought she would do. 

“ _ Mentermier ará terléiper, metermier ará onier, _ ”  _ Magic gifted, magic returned _ . 

The voice of her mother rung on her ears.  _ You must never say these words Marinette, you must never connect your magic to them, some will trick you to tell them, but you must never trust them. Don’t ever say those words, Marinette, promise me.  _

It was too late now, and she was deeply sorry but did not regret it. 

It was all chaos and then there was peace. 

 

**xx**

 

_ There was a woman crying.  _

_ Soaked in blood.  _

_ Her hair was blonde, almost white. Her eyes were a soft tone of green, like the leaves of the tallest trees in Ifyuru on the late months of spring.  _

_ Marinette was kneeling in front of her and could not take her sight off her.  _

_ The woman hugged herself as if she was trying to find some sort of calm that would never come. Her hands roamed from her arms to her face, and they pulled the skin around her lips, and then she pinched the corners of her mouth and shouted with so much sorrow that Marinette could feel it.  _

_ There was something strangely familiar about her, but she was sure she had never seen the woman before.  _

_ Marinette stood up, discovering it wasn’t hard, that she wasn’t hurt and that she could move normally all over again.  _

_ She took five steps forward and kneeled again, this time right in front of the woman. When she reached to touch her, the woman evaporated.  _

_ Marinette jerked back in surprise.  _

_ She looked all around her, discovering that her surroundings were nothing more than a dark room with no windows and dark blue ceramics that reflected the night sky.  _

_ The only light came from her fists.  _

_ That made her slowly extend her hands and examine them.  _

_ The palms of her hands had sparkling stars in the shapes of scratches and cosmic dust painted like ash covered them.  _

_ It was her energy covering them in beautiful gold, and orbiting around all the sunshine there was silver.  _

_ She recognized immediately by the way it made her feel.  _

_ It was Adrien’s energy.  _

_ No.  _

_ Not Adrien’s, it wasn’t his own, but the borrowed scent that lingered in him and his heart.  _

_ It was the first time she felt it so clearly and whatever it was, whatever it did, this energy was aware of their connection and had found home in Adrien.  _

_ Marinette looked back, searching for more. The echoes of the crying woman still lingered in the thing air, the blood kept dropping on the floor. _

_ What kind of vision was this? _

_ She couldn’t understand anything that was happening, this was nothing like the millions of other times she had been caught in a vision. They were never this detailed.   _

_ Marinette spun on her heels again, this time, finding new company.  _

_ A circle of women stood in front of her. They were moving, making the circle bigger and by that, they were making a spot for her. _

_ Without wondering, Marinette walked and took the spot that they have left empty for her.  _

_ “Hi?”  _

_ “We’ve been hurt again.” The girl at her side said.  _

_ “Excuse me?” Marinette said looking directly at her, but the girl never made eye contact.  _

_ “We’ve been fooled again. When will it stop? When will we be free?” Another little girl talked.  _

_ Marinette looked in front of her, more and more woman appeared. There were at least three hundred young women in front of her. None of them could be older than thirty and the youngest of them all must have had nine or ten years.  _

_ “What’s going on?” Marinette asked, “Where am I?”  _

_ “There’s no time for silly questions,” One of the eldest said, “We are deeply sorry about that, but we’re against the clock here.”  _

_ “Then someone explain it to me, what is happening?… please,” Marinette said, looking for someone who could look back at her.  _

_ “You need to end this cycle. You need to terminate our weapon,” A young girl at her left said, she had her hair in braids and was wearing fully pink attire.  _

_ “The dagger,” The eldest said, not letting Marinette ask anything. “You need to destroy the dagger.” _

_ “Sancoeur’s?” Marinette gasped. That was the only thing that could come to her head, and when all the women nodded, she felt relieved “I  _ can’t t _ ouch it. It hurts me.” _

_ “Oh no, hasn’t Plagg found you yet?” The girl at her left asked. She had big brown eyes and short red hair.  _

_ “Plagg? The demon that possessed Adrien?” _

_ “Is Adrien his new chosen?” _

_ Chosen?  _ _  
_ _ “What are you talking about? None of you are making any sense. Please, I need a good explanation for all of these.” _

_ “Plagg has to be bound to someone, and he manages to make them find us.” The eldest said, “Whoever they are, they are our escape route. It’s a gift from... from someone very dear to us.” _

_ “Plagg? Escape of what? Sancoeur?” _

_ “Yes, I guess. Other bad things too.” A blonde girl said taking one step forward “We know it doesn't make any sense, but it's only so much that we can reveal.” _

_ “Why?” _

_ “Because you’re alive and you lack the needed training to cross to the Spirit World. What wasn’t learn on living-land cannot be told by the deities or spirits.”  _

_ In other words, something like what Marinette was living had happened before.  _

_ “Okay, okay, I understand.” She actually didn’t but she knew she wasn’t going to get anywhere if she kept asking. _

_ “Use Plagg’s chosen. His energy will save you.” _

_ “His energy?” _ _  
_ _ “Every time we’re on land, Plagg chooses a shield for us. Use it, it is what will keep you alive. His energy is our only hope,”  _

_ “Please be more specific,” Marinette said between her teeth.  _

_ If what she was speculating was true, she wouldn’t be able to go with it. _

_ “The chosen can touch what we can’t, can endure what we would never. They will help you fight the dagger and the owner bonded to it. They will keep you living,” _

_ “I  _ won’t _ sacrifice Adrien.” Marinette gasped, putting the words together, realizing what they could be trying to tell her.  _

_ “Oh no, don’t tell me we’re still that unlucky,” The redhead said, “Best friend? Sibling? Partner?” _

_ “Boyfriend,” Marinette answered.  _

_ “You’ll have to use him,” The blonde said, “If you do it right he’ll face his destiny and he’ll be fine.” _

_ “We don’t know that,” The eldest said, “We only know they’re chosen to help.” _

_ “Which means it all could turn alright!” _

_ “Or he could die, and we’ll have to live with that,” The redhead cried.  _

_ “I won’t sacrifice him! There has to be another way!” _

_ “We don’t know if he’ll die,” The eldest said, “None of us have been successful. But you must try, or we will never be truly free.” _

_ Marinette looked at them and let the words bounce around.  _

_ She needed to destroy the dagger. _

_ The weapon of her most feared enemy, the reason why she couldn’t sleep at night.  _

_ It sounded like an obvious choice, but after what she heard, after what they implied.. could she really put Adrien in danger just to destroy a piece of metal? _

_ The answer was very simple: she wouldn’t.  _

_ But it wasn’t just a piece of metal, it was a lethal weapon for her, it was the only thing that had caused that kind of damage and trauma on her.  _

_ Use his energy they said.  _

_ Adrien was chosen. _

_ Just like her. _

_ Marinette put her head up and closed her eyes, letting herself fall again.   _

**xx**

 

Marinette gasped for air as she went out of the water. 

Her body had floated and she was meters away from the shore, but she wasn’t touching any water. 

Ribbons made of incandescent light moved in different orbits, creating a sphere similar to Alya’s but with a different energy. 

She fluttered around, the ribbons moving with her, splashing water all over as she tried to stand up. Water only went to her toes, and the ribbons grew once she was on her feet. 

Marinette looked at her hands, the sparkles were gone but she swore she could still see their patterns only by following the energy. 

She blinked a few times, the memories of the vision -or whatever it had actually been- coming back in little flashes. 

The dagger, she had to get the dagger  _ and  _ Sancoeur. 

Even if that was the last thing she did. 

Reaching for her ear, where one of the earrings still remained, she felt Tikki’s power pulsating softly, close to completely vanish. 

She looked around, the last place she fixed her vision was the shore where she had been before. Only to see the fighting scene that was enduring. 

Adrien kept fighting, barely moving, barely avoiding spells and thunder, but still fighting. However, as brave and skilled as he was, there was something that didn’t feel natural about him, the way he moved and attacked were different. 

Marinette strolled closer to the shore, the ribbons tangling together and sending specks of light all around the night sky. 

One of the lights hit right on top of the fighters’ faces and made them look at her direction. 

They both smiled, but for many different reasons. 

At that moment, looking at Nathalie’s bloody smile, the knife still deep on her eye, she knew she had no other choice but to finish her. 

There was nothing else if she didn’t win if she didn’t triumph over Sancoeur. It didn’t matter what would take. 

It was time to stop restricting herself, and let magic guide her. The magic chose her for a reason, it wasn’t time to worry about her training. It wasn’t wise, but there were not many options left, she was going to let her magic run free. 

She felt the water tremble around her, one wave took her right to the shore. 

Right there, her wonderful boyfriend kept fighting, his sword swinging and trying to hit Sancoeur to keep her away from her. 

But the dark witch had found a new motivation. In a move, Marinette hadn’t seen coming, and obviously neither had Adrien, she threw lighting at him and wrapped her with it, making him convulse as she lifted him off the ground. 

Adrien’s sword’s fell and his grunt echoed on the back of his throat. 

“Adrien!” 

Sancoeur pulled him closer to her and grabbed him by his throat, keeping his feet away from the ground as she floated with him, and reached for his belt.

“Thank you, your highness,” She said in a sarcastic tone. 

Adrien gasped for air, but Marinette could tell he was trying to say something sassy back. Even when he had lost. 

Sancoeur took a dagger out of Adrien’s belt and lif it. 

_ The dagger.  _

Marinette didn’t hesitate and threw a ball of fire at her. With all her powers unleashed and little control of what could happen and what could not, the fireball was three sizes the head of Sancoeur and did not only hit her and got her away of Adrien, but it also burnt her boyfriends. 

Adrien hissed when he fell and bent his arms close to his chest, pressing his hands where the fire had scorched. 

“Adrien,” She ran to him and helped him stabilize. 

“Princess?” Adrien asked looking back at her. Actual surprise crossing his features. 

There was no time to process when on her peripheral view Sancoeur appeared.

Adrien’s growl resonated on his chest and made her shiver. 

Nathalie aimed the dagger at her heart. 

The blade touched her skin so slightly, only not fully piercing through because of Adrien. 

Nathalie held the handle tighter, but beside her, extending his arm in front of her face, Adrien had wrapped his hand around the blade of the dagger pushing it away from Marinette.

Blood dripped from his hand, staining the blade and rusting the edges. 

Her eyes went wide open. 

_ Adrien can touch the blade! Adrien is damaging the blade! _

_ ‘The chosen can touch what we can’t, can endure what we would never.’  _ That’s what they had said. 

The moment her hand touched his and she brushed the handle of the dagger, was enough to unleash something bigger inside Marinette.

Right in front of her eyes, swirling lights rolled around each other. She saw Adrien’s, Nathalie’s, hers and one she did not recognize, but that was awfully familiar. It vibrated in the same range Adrien’s did, it danced the same way  _ Plagg’s _ did. 

The unique demon had an aura she had never seen before, and aura so strange that she hadn’t been able to recognize Adrien had been possessed by him. Only Alya had. A deity who lived in the spirit world had. 

_ Adrien’s been chosen. _

The scene she was wrapped became slow, she could perceive every move, she could feel all the energies surrounding her. 

The ticking clock of the magic inside was running down to the edge.

It was now or never. 

“I’m sorry, minou,” Marinette whispered. 

Adrien’s eyes popped with confusion. 

“ _ Mentermier ará terléiper, metermier ará onier, _ ”

A soft smile drew on her lips. 

**_“NO!”_ ** Sancouer shouted. 

But it was too late. 

Marinette felt her heart burst and a light made of a thousand suns and moons came out of her eyes and hands 

Her body shook just like Adrien beside her. 

The light coming out of her wrapped around Nathalie and as much as the dark witch tried to fight it, the ribbons tangled around her like poisonous vines. 

The dagger did not move of its place, still scratching her skin, but with Nathalie long gone it wasn’t hard to push it away. 

Marinette looked to her side, at her immobile boyfriends. 

Her lips trembled before she said the words. “Plagg…  _ possess, _ ”

She didn’t see the demon but she felt it. A small line of black smoke circled Adrien and then the ring on his hand sparkled. 

Adrien’s eyes turned white, his iris completely disappearing before taking a soft pastel pink and then a vivid fluorescent green. His fangs grew and she felt her claws doing so too. A shade of ashy black covered his entire body, but he didn’t turn into a cat as she was expecting. 

 

Her energy intertwined with his. A bond so tight she could feel it pulling them together. 

Adrien looked at her with dead eyes. 

Marinette stood up and he copied her. 

The smell of burning leaves and boiling water covered the night. There was no need to check, it was her magic acting up what was causing the little fires around them. She could feel how it slipped through her fingers, how the little control she had managed to have was going to vanish soon and a possessed version of her would take over. 

It was now or never. Adrien was ready, Nathalie was weak, and she was strong. 

“Adrien,” She called and his body stiffened in response. 

Biting her lips and hesitating for a second, Marinette gave one simple command to Adrien. 

_“Kill._ ” 

Adrien wrapped the dagger’s handle and twisted it to the other side. He began to run, his body did move in the carefree way it always did, it was harsh like the way the undead move. 

Nathalie kept fighting but her lighting had turned into sparks, and her fire had become into shapeless flames. 

Adrien gave one jump and tackled Sancoeur down to the ground. He lifted his arm and with one swift move, he pierced the dagger through her heart. 

Sancoeur pitched scream was probably heard all around the woods, the whole kingdom even. The sound of sorrow mixed with frustration and anger was one Marinette would always treasure. 

She saw Adrien twist the dagger deeper into the flesh, and particles of dark matter started to float all around them. 

Analyzing the moment from afar, she realized there was something missing. 

Taking short but confident steps she approached them and kneeled. 

Staring right into Nathalie’s eyes, seeing the fear displayed on them made Marinette smile brighter than she had ever before, even a chuckle escaped her lips. 

“I’ll keep this memory forever,” She whispered at the witch, the main protagonist of all her nightmares. 

Then she touched Adrien’s hand and wrapped around it, brushing the handle of the dagger. 

It hurt but it didn’t stop her. 

Rushing heat ran through her veins and her skin illuminated with magic. She was losing it but it didn’t matter, because it all fell so good. 

She twisted the weapon and pushed all her power into it. 

Marinette unraveled.  

The light ribbons came back, creating a chaotic sphere around the three of them, lifting them from the ground and splattering light and heat in all directions.

The feeling was too overwhelming. Her eyes opened and closed forcefully and shivers went up and down her limbs. 

The ribbons constrained and snapped just like she did.   

There was a cracking sound and the dagger bent under Adrien’s hand. 

Marinette let go, her hand burning and bleeding. 

Nathalie screamed. 

The ribbons disappeared.

Marinette smiled. 

Adrien fell. 

 

**xx**

_ It was a state of euphoria all around her.  _

_ Unsure of what had happened, how it had happened and why she had been able to do it, the only thing she could hold onto was the results.  _

_ Marinette saw the lifeless body of the woman that had tormented her for years start to crack. The dagger in her chest was turning into ash and the dark matter that came out of it was consuming Sancoeur.  _

_ She was drunk on the vision of her enemy dying, the sweet sensation of freedom running down her body like a hot and calming shower.  _

_ The colors around her were a shade of soft blues and pinks, silver stars shining all around her as she saw the pale body turning black. Even the red vivid blood coming out of her was satisfying to watch, no matter how much she despised the sight of it.  _

_ “I never knew death could be so pleasing,” Marinette whispered at the presence behind her.  _

_ “It’s endearing, no denying.”  _

_ “I always wanted her dead, although, I didn’t think I would be the one to kill her,” _

_ “We probably are the only ones who could have,”  _

_ “Still cryptic I see,” Marinette said, recognizing the voice of the eldest woman of the bunch she had met before.  _

_ “You’re still unfamiliar to Spirit World,” _

_ “This is Spirit World? Alya has never fully described it, but she has said that it is like another dimension, with forests and beaches, with cities and farms.” _

_ “That’s a layer of it, yes,” The woman nodded, “You still can’t go there. It’s a slow way down to it,” _

_ “Talking from experience?” _

_ “No,” She laughed, “Sadly we weren’t able to visit Spirit World when it was my time. But if you come back, maybe we will” _

_ “Come back? You say it as I’m not going to,” _

_ “Well, you might have not felt it. Magic can make you not see or feel things like they are, but you pushed yourself  to your limit.” She said, “They give us less and less training as time goes by…” _

_ “I don’t understand,” _

_ “I have no way to make you understand. I wish I could but you need more control of our magic before,” The woman sighed, “If you come back you need to study and do research, go beyond what The Witch Court might teach you, and don’t trust anyone. The only one you have is Plagg’s chosen, and even them could turn against you.” _ _  
_ _ Something switched inside Marinette’s mind. _

_ “Adrien,” She gasped.  _

_ It all dissipated around her.  _

**xx**

It was just like the last time she came back, just this time she wasn't in the water. She was facing the ground, dirt on her mouth and leaves all over her. 

Marinette sat down and the glowing sparkles on her hand detoured her attention from her surroundings to her. 

The stars she had seen and felt before were decorating her hand, twirled on her wrist and went up to her shoulder.

“She’s awake!” Chloé’s voice hit her like a slap.

The blonde girl was standing above her, her clothes were tattered and her face was full of bruises. Marinette imagined she wasn’t going to be happy about that once she looked in the mirror. 

Without a warning, Chloé grabbed her hand and pulled her up. The whole world staggered and her stomach clenched, stirring nauseous feelings. 

They started walking, and Marinette felt needles all over and beneath her skin. It was excruciating but Chloé didn’t stop walking or checked on her, she just kept pulling. 

When they arrived at where Kagami, Nino, and Alya where she knew why.

Close to the wavering water of the lake, Sancoeur lied dead, and at her side, just as lifeless, there was Adrien. 

Marinette’s heart stopped. 

She let go of Chloé’s hand and ran the remaining path all on her own. 

Her sight was fixed on her boyfriend, a literal broken shell, however, it was impossible to not take a look at Nathalie. 

Her eyes were wide open, skin hard as a rock, cracked like porcelain, and through the cracks, a dark matter licked out of her. 

It wasn’t blood, it was a kind of magic. It looked just like in Spirit World, but now it was grotesque. 

Marinette’s attention went back to her lover. 

She dropped to the floor like a dead weight and held his head. 

Adrien’s skin was an unsettling shade of grey with strings of black were painted all over him like scratching scars. 

Marinette looked for his pulse. 

There wasn’t one. 

Her chest clenched and pushed through her rib cage. 

“He can’t die!” Marinette hugged him. “He hasn’t gone through mortalization, has he? If he hasn’t, it isn't possible!”

“We expected  _ you  _ to know!” Kagami exclaimed. 

Marinette gulped. 

She didn’t. She had no idea what to do. 

The night had gone so fast, she had done things on impulse without knowing if they would work or not. They had worked, but she still wondered how after all this time her magic had just stayed in line and contributed to her cause.

It was obvious that none of it would have happened if Nathalie hadn’t been weak or if the King hadn’t been afraid, but it was still odd and eerie that one moment she was able to do everything she always dreamed of. 

Marinette looked at her unconscious boyfriend, eyes closed and mouth opened in one last gasp. 

“You can’t die,” She whispered to him. 

With her fingertip, she drew a route over his features, until she reached his mouth, the only part of him that kept its usual flushed color, and a drop of dark viscous liquid touched her skin. 

Marinette frowned. Putting her finger up, she examined the material. 

Her breathe got stuck on her throat and she looked back to Sancoeur. 

“I have an idea,” Marinette said and looked back at the vampires. “I don’t know if it will work,” 

“Do it,” The three nobles said at the unison. No questioning, it was a direct order. 

Marinette nodded. 

Swirling her hand in Sancoeur’s direction she pulled the body closer to them. 

Not letting her sight fall on her, she pressed her hand over her wounded heart, where all the dark matter was coming from, where the ashes of the dagger were clinging to her victim and previous owner. 

Marinette covered her hand on it, ignoring the disgust and hurt. Then with the same hand, she reached for her face and pulled the knife out of her eye. 

Snapping her clean fingers she threw a spell. The ground beneath them shivered, and all the leaves under them united to form a cushion that started to move them to the lake. 

The water touched them quickly, 

“Marinette?!” Kagami shouted. 

“If I don’t come out in five minutes, do what you have to do!” Marinette shouted. 

One more snap and she dragged Adrien’s body to the deepest part of the lake. 

**xx**

The water was refreshing, and the leaks of moonlight that managed to cross the layers felt good on her skin. 

But it was no time to enjoy, it was time to take.

Marinette opened her mouth and let the water enter her throat and lungs. 

“I love you.” She whispered and bubbles came out. More water got in and she started to feel the need for air. 

Adrien remained motionless floating beside her. 

Marinette pressed her bloodied hand on top of his mouth. Marinette’s thumb brushed one of his fangs and pushed it so it would pierce her skin. 

This was her last resource. 

Marinette put her hand all over his face, neck, and chest, leaving the mark of the ash of the dagger, drops of Sancoeur’s dark matter and her blood all over him. 

Her body kept asking for air, but she denied it what it wanted, no matter how desperate she was getting. 

She wrapped her body around Adrien and waited for the snap to come.

Her heart started beating faster.

She started gagging 

Her eyes fluttered too slow or too fast, and the shapes turned blurry. 

It was when her ears rang when she felt the crack. 

She didn’t know if she was physically able to smile, but internally she did. 

Magic irradiated from her, slowly losing control of her body. The only place where she could still totally feel was her arm, where the new sparkling spots were.  Magic leaked with stronger intensity from there. 

And when her magic was about to break completely lose, when she felt the edge of insanity, something wrapped it around her, pushing it back.

It was a warm wave of strength and it all came of Adrien. 

It was the last thing she felt before shutting down. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)  
> and only one chapter left now.  
> find me on: buginettez.


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